I had the pleasure of interviewing award-winning author Naomi Hirahara about her new mystery, Clark and Division (affiliate link). I loved that it was set in Chicago in the World War II era, and learning about Japanese-Americans’ life during this difficult time period. The Ito family is first sent to the Manzanar concentration camp from their home in Los Angeles, as there was fear about allowing Japanese-Americans to remain on the West Coast. After a period of time, people were allowed to leave the camp but not return home. The Ito’s older daughter Rose heads to Chicago first, with the family following about a year later. When they arrive, they find something tragic has happened to Rose. It’s the younger daughter Aki who is driven to figure out what happened and why. I loved all the details Hirahara included in the book to make this era come alive, and learning about an entirely new side of Chicago I didn’t know anything about. I make the Spam fried rice featured in one scene, a good representation of a WWII meal. Watch her episode below. Buy Clark and Division wherever books are sold.
Here’s Naomi’s recipe, with my notes below. Use Japonica, short grain, or sushi rice for Naomi’s version. I used a medium-grain rice for a less-sticky final dish you see here.
Yuri's Spam fried rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice japonica, sushi, short, or medium grain
- 4 cups water (filtered or spring)
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil divided use
- 1/2 can light Spam cubed small
- 1/2 cup peas frozen
- 5 stalks onions (green) thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce use tamari for gluten-free, can sub coconut aminos if avoiding soy
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the rice 6 times. Bring to a boil with 4 cups of water, covered, then turn down to low and cook for 13 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Spread out the rice on a baking sheet (covered in parchment or silicone helps) and let cool about one hour. This helps dry out the rice so it doesn't stick when stir-frying. Naomi prefers it stickier.
- Heat a large wok or non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the Spam, stir-frying for about 8 minutes until browned and crispy.
- Push the Spam to the edges of the pan and add the remaining oil, allowing it to heat up before adding the rice. Stir fry until the rice has lots of crispy bits.
- Add the peas and stir fry until hot. Add the green onions and soy sauce and stir fry another minute or two more. Serve immediately.
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