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1
Combine the soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Lay the eight Spam slices in a single layer in a cold pan, then set over medium heat. Pour the glaze over the slices. Cook, turning the slices once, until the glaze has visibly browned, slightly stuck to the pan, and formed a caramelised crust on both cut faces of each slice. Pale or grey Spam without caramelised edges is insufficiently cooked.
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2
Lay one nori strip lengthwise on the work surface. Position the musubi mold (a dedicated mold or the open-ended Spam can) centred on the nori strip. With damp hands, press a portion of warm rice firmly into the mold to form a compact block. The rice must be packed firmly enough that it holds a clean block shape when the mold is lifted away; loosely pressed rice crumbles.
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3
If using furikake, scatter a thin, even layer over the surface of the pressed rice block before placing the Spam. Lay one glazed Spam slice flat on top of the rice block.
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4
Working while the rice is still warm, fold one end of the nori strip up and over the Spam, then fold the opposite end up to overlap it on the underside of the rice block, pressing firmly to seal. The residual moisture and natural starches of warm rice cause the nori to adhere; cold rice will not provide sufficient moisture and the nori will slip. Repeat for the remaining seven pieces.
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5
Allow the finished musubis to rest for two to three minutes, seam-side down, before serving. The nori should feel taut and faintly supple against the rice block — neither dry and brittle nor wet and slack.