This recipe belongs to my grandma and it’s one that holds a very special place in my heart. This is kimbap, it’s a Korean rice roll that you may also know as gimbap.
My grandma spent most of her life in Korea so a lot of her go-to recipes are Korean dishes. Kimbap was one of those recipes I would always beg her to make. I would watch her roll kimbap after kimbap until we had a mountain stacked. You’d think we were feeding a whole village! If you try this recipe, you’re officially apart of the family, so I hope you enjoy this <3
The filling I am sharing is my go-to version but there are so many flavour combinations and I encourage you to be creative with it!
INGREDIENTS:
- ~200g Asian Short Grain Rice (sushi rice) – do not sub for other rice type
- 1 large pack of Spinach
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 Danmuji (Korean pickled daikon) aka Takuan
- 2-3 Carrots
- 1 tin of Spam
- 3-4 Eggs
- 1 Pack of Sushi/Kimbap Nori/Seaweed
GENERAL SEASONINGS-
- 3-4 cloves of Garlic
- Sesame Oil
- Light Soy Sauce
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Toasted White Sesame Seeds
STEPS:
PREP EACH FILLING-
- Thoroughly wash the rice, then cook it as instructed on the packet. While it cooks, prep the other ingredients. Once the rice is ready, keep the rice cooker/pot covered
- Roughly mince the garlic and set aside
- Blanch the spinach (boil for 50secs or until just cooked, then transfer it into an ice bath) and drain. Use your hands to squeeze out any excess water. Leave it over a sieve to drain as we prepare the other ingredients
- Cut both the cucumbers and pickled daikon into batonnets. I usually cut my cucumber into 1/3 slabs then vertically into 8 equal sticks. Then I match the daikon to the cucumbers so that they are relatively the same size. (If you are using cucumbers with a lot of watery seeds, I would recommend removing them, but this step is optional)
- Julienne the carrots. Add the carrots to a lightly oiled pan and gently sauté over medium heat. Add half of the chopped garlic, some ground black pepper, and 1tbsp of soy sauce. Sauté until the carrots soften. Give it a taste and add salt if needed. Turn off the heat and add 1tbsp of sesame seeds and a generous drizzle of sesame oil. Mix thoroughly and set aside
- In the same pan over medium heat, add the drained spinach. Add the remaining garlic and 1tbsp of soy sauce. Sauté the spinach to allow any of the excess water to cook out. Turn off the heat and mix in 1tbsp of sesame seeds and a generous drizzle of sesame oil. Set aside
- Slice the spam into batonnets that are similar size to the cucumbers. I like to cut the spam into thick slices, then slice into 4 equal strips.
- Pan-sear the spam batonnets on all sides and set aside.
- Beat eggs with a pinch of salt. In a large oiled pan over medium heat, pour a thin even layer of egg to form a sheet of egg. Flip when the first side is cooked and transfer onto a plate. Repeat the process until all the eggs have been cooked into multiple sheets of egg
- Stack the egg sheets and roll them into a log. Slice 1cm thick slices which will unravel into egg noodles. Set aside
- Into the freshly cooked rice, add a generous drizzle of sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Mix and taste, then adjust the flavours as needed
MAKE KIMBAP-
- Place a piece of seaweed, shiny-side down, and spread a thin even layer of rice across. I recommend using the tips of your finger to help spread the rice evenly so the rice grains don’t get smooshed. Leave an inch/3cm of seaweed at the top uncovered by rice
- Neatly place the prepped ingredients at the bottom of the rice, away from the empty nori strip. I like to start with a few eggs noodles, then carrots next to the eggs, followed by the spinach next to the carrots. Stack the spam, daikon, and cucumber on top. Align them horizontally
- Grab the end of the nori sheet and using your palm to support the rice and nori, begin to roll the kimbap. As you roll, apply firm pressure to the kimbap to create a tight roll. When you reach the end and have formed a roll, place the nori opening at the bottom so the residual heat and moisture can help seal the roll
- Optional but good final step is to gently brush a layer of sesame oil across the roll to get a shiny finish
- Eat kimbap like a burrito or slice into more manageable bites (shown in the pictures)
- Kimbap is best eaten fresh!
STORAGE
In my family, kimbap is one of those things we make in big batches. It’s usually made for celebrations and family gatherings so we all help make a component of the kimbap. This usually means that we end up with leftovers. Now that I have moved abroad, I still like to make a big batch but it’s never for that many people so I always have leftovers. So I have found it to be an excellent meal prep!
As I mentioned before, kimbap is best fresh but it’s still amazing as leftovers!
I always store them in airtight containers, pre-sliced. When I am ready to eat, I microwave it with a lid covering the container to trap some of the steam. I never over microwave because the nori can fall apart but even if that happens, its not the end of the world.
