Rice Dishes

Kimbap (Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls)

Name: Kimbap (Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 servings (4 rolls)
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: roasted seaweed sheets (gim) 4 sheets; cooked rice 2 bowls (about 400 g); carrot 1/2; eggs 2; danmuji (yellow pickled radish) 4 strips; spinach 1 handful; toasted sesame oil 1 Tbsp; salt 1/2 tsp; cooking oil 1 Tbsp

Mix the rice with sesame oil and salt, spread it thin over the seaweed, top with danmuji, carrot, egg, and spinach, then roll and slice. Hot rice tears the seaweed, so let it cool to lukewarm before using.

Prep 25 min · Cook 15 min · Total 40 min · 2 servings (4 rolls) · Medium

한국어로 보기 (Korean version)

Steps

1
Mix the warm rice with the sesame oil and salt and let it cool to lukewarm.
Hot rice makes the seaweed soggy and it tears.
2
Julienne the carrot and stir-fry it with a pinch of salt and the cooking oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Blanch the spinach, squeeze out the water, and toss it with sesame oil.
3
Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, cook them into a thin omelette sheet, and cut into strips.
A thick omelette makes rolling harder.
4
Place a seaweed sheet on a bamboo rolling mat and spread the rice thinly over it, leaving 2 cm bare at the top edge. Lay the danmuji, carrot, spinach, and egg across the middle.
5
Roll it up firmly with the mat, let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice 1.5 cm thick with a knife brushed with sesame oil.
Oiling the knife keeps the rice from sticking.

Substitutions

Instead of	Use	How
spinach	1/2 cucumber	Scoop out just the seeds, cut it into long strips, salt for 5 minutes, then squeeze out the water before rolling.
danmuji	4 strips braised burdock root	Store-bought braised burdock works fine — just drain it first.

Storing leftovers

Kimbap rice hardens in the fridge, so it's best eaten the day it's made. Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap, refrigerate, and eat the same day; before eating, leave at room temperature for 10 minutes, or dip the slices in beaten egg and pan-fry until heated through. The rice turns mealy when frozen, so don't freeze.

Serve with

Ramyeon (instant noodles), doenjang-guk (soybean paste soup), and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi). Kimbap also makes a meal on its own.

Making more or less

To make more rolls, scale up the rice and fillings in the same proportions.

Before you cook

Cook the omelette sheet all the way through before adding it.
In summer, don't leave kimbap out at room temperature for long.

Questions

How do I roll kimbap without tearing the seaweed?

Steam from hot rice softens the seaweed and makes it tear. Cool the rice to lukewarm, spread it on the rough side of the seaweed, and leave the last 2 cm bare. Spreading the rice too thick also stretches the seaweed until it splits, so keep it thin.