This fun musubi comes from the island of Kauai and only requires three ingredients: Goteborg sausage, rice, and furikake! Great for snacks and potluck parties.
Kauai Goteborg Musubi
Do you know about the Goteborg Musubi?
This playful musubi comes from the island of Kauai. It is made from rice, Goteborg sausage, and furikake. So easy and good.
Goteborg musubi is still primarily a "Kauai thing" but luckily we can find Goteborg musubi on other islands as well.
This musubi is great example of how Hawaii food is a marriage of many cultures (other examples include saimin, shave ice, manapua, etc). The musubi rice part comes from the Japanese. The sausage comes from the Germans. These ethnic groups settled in Hawaii during the sugar plantation era in the 1800s.
Note: From Spam musubi to hot dog-egg musubi and teriyaki chicken musubi, we have many types of musubi in Hawaii. We even have food shops devoted to musubi!
Other Names For Goteborg Musubi
Kauai Goteborg Musubi goes by several names:
- Kauai Goteborg Musubi
- Goteborg Sausage Musubi
- UFOs - Isn't this a cool name? It's because the sausage curls up and forms a concave shape after it's cooked, making it look like a UFO!
What Is In Goteborg Musubi?
You only need three ingredients for Kauai Goteborg Musubi:
The sausage is sliced and pan fried, taking on a concave shape. The rice is scooped in a ball and nestled in the sausage "bowl." Finish with a sprinkle of furikake. If you really love furikake (we do), you can roll the whole rice ball in furikake before placing it on top of the sausage.
Leave the top open and eat it just like that. Or top it with a second slice of sausage. This gives the musubi a cute little "hat" ^_^
What Is Goteborg Sausage?
Goteborg Sausage is a German sausage. It is made from both beef and pork. The main thing that sets Goteborg apart from other sausages is the size. It is BIG.
Goteborg Sausage is almost a foot and a half long (!) and two-inches in diameter. That is double, or triple, most other sausages you'll see at the supermarket.
Goteborg Sausage is available at all Hawaii supermarkets. It's in the refrigerated section alongside other deli meats. It is always Hormel brand (same company that makes Spam).
I'm pretty sure you can only get Hormel's Goteborg Sausage in Hawaii. I've never seen it on the mainland and it's not sold online. If you can't find Goteborg Sausage, try substitute another peppered hard salami...not quite the same but better than nothing ^_^
How To Cook Goteborg Sausage
It's easy! All you have to do is:
- Slice the sausage (aim for ⅛-inch rounds)
- Pan fry till it's slightly crisp (about five minutes on each side)
Once you fry the sliced sausage, you'll notice that it takes on a concave shape. This shape is perfect for holding a small ball of rice.
Where To Get Goteborg Musubi?
For the most part, Goteborg Musubi is something you make at home. Or rather, your aunty/cousin/friend makes it at home and then brings to a potluck party.
Because the sausage is pretty big (it's sold by the pound and often in 2-3 pound packages), no one ever just makes a few Goteborg Musubi. If you're making Goteborg Musubi, you're going to make a lot of Goteborg Musubi! That's why it's so popular at potlucks, parties, and kids soccer games.
However there are several places that sell Goteborg Musubi. On Oahu we go to Tanioka's Seafood and Catering (pictured above). They're just $1.95 each and so delicious! Certain locations of Times Supermarket also sell Goteborg Musubi.
Goteborg Musubi Toppings
The classic Goteborg musubi topping is furikake, but you can get fancy and use many other type of toppings including:
- Chopped kimchee
- Ume (Japanese pickled plum)
- Takuan (Japanese pickled daikon)
- Taegu (Korean seasoned codfish)
- Ahi poke - yes, you can top with a spoonful of poke!
Goteborg Musubi Tips
For best taste: eat the musubi the day you make it. You want the sausage crisp from the pan and the rice nice and fresh.
If you really must, leftovers can be wrapped in plastic and then refrigerated. The next day, take it out and let the musubi come to room temperature. Remove the plastic, wrap a wet paper towel around the musubi, put it on a plate and microwave for one minute.
Aim to cut the sausage ⅛-inch thickness. Many sauce that 6mm is the "golden number" to get the sausage to curl just the right amount when you pan fry it.
Substitute another peppered hard salami. Make sure it is at least 2-inches in diameter (otherwise you'll end up making miniature Goteborg musubi).
Goteborg Musubi Recipe
See below and enjoy ^_^
Goteborg Musubi
This fun musubi comes from the island of Kauai and only requires three ingredients: Goteborg sausage, rice, and furikake! Great for snacks and potluck parties.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Goteborg sausage
- 2 cups cooked rice (short-grain Japanese rice or medium-grain California rice)
- 6 tablespoons furikake
Instructions
- Slice the sausage in ⅛-inch pieces. In a large pan, lay the sausage slices in a single layer. Pan fry on medium-high heat until crisp (about 5 minutes on each side). Set the sausage slices aside on a plate lined with paper towels (to soak up the oil).
- Pour the furikake out onto a plate.
- Use a spoon (or an ice cream scoop!), to scoop the rice into balls. Gently roll the rice balls in the furikake, completely coating the rice.
- Put the furikake-coated rice ball on top of the pan fried sausage. Top with another sausage "hat" if you desire. Serve and eat! Goteborg Musubi is great both hot and at room temperature.
Notes
- Instead of rolling the rice balls in furikake, you can just sprinkle furikake on top (and don't put on the sausage "hat" so that the furikake remains visible). Our family just loves lots of furikake, which is why we do the roll ^_^
Hormel goteborg is also available in different parts of the Midwest, and all over in Minnesota. It's a Scandinavian Christmas staple, along with our lefse and lutefisk.
Aloha Tamra! Ahhh that is super good to know. Thank you for sharing 🙂
- Kathy