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Korean Kimbap

Kimbap is a fun dish for entertaining at home! Traditionally made with rice and vegetables, my kimbap recipe is perfect for personalizing with whatever fillings you want. Your guests will love these bite sized Korean rice rolls at your next gathering! Click here to see my recipe for Bulgogi.
Course: Main or Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian/Korean, Korean
Keyword: kimbap, koreanfood, sushi
Servings: 6
Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

Helpful items:

  • A bamboo rolling mat
  • Disposable gloves
  • A small bowl of water
  • A wood cutting board or other clean surface
  • A sharp knife

For the carrots:

  • 2-3 large carrots julienned
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • pinch of salt

For the spinach:

  • 1/2 pound spinach uncut with stems left on and blanched
  • sesame oil; start with 1 teaspoon
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • pinch of salt
  • sesame seeds

For the eggs:

  • 3 eggs
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

For the rice:

  • 3 cups cooked white medium grain rice slightly cooled
  • sesame oil; start with 1 tablespoon
  • pinch of salt
  • sesame seeds

For the kimbap:

  • 6 sheets dried roasted seaweed gim
  • 3 cups cooked seasoned white medium grain rice
  • 6 strips yellow pickled radish purchase the package that has the radish is already cut
  • 2 to 3 large carrots
  • 1/2 pound spinach blanched
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 pound cooked Korean bulgogi see recipe link in the post
  • sesame seeds

Instructions

For the bulgogi:

  • Marinate and cook the bulgogi based on the link to the recipe above.

For the carrots:

  • Using your KitchenAid® 9-Cup Food Processor, insert the Julienne Disc and place your carrots (as shown in the photo above) into the largest opening of the wide mouth feed tube. Turn the KitchenAid® 9-Cup Food Processor on LOW and press the carrots down into the feed tube. Remove the julienned carrots and set aside, repeating until all of your carrots are julienned.
  • Using a non-stick pan over medium heat, heat the sesame oil and add in the julienned carrots, sautéing them for only a few minutes. You just want to soften them a bit. Season with salt, remove from the heat and place on a large platter.

For the spinach:

  • Season the cooled, blanched spinach with sesame oil, starting only with one teaspoon and the garlic. Season with salt, taste and adjust any seasonings. Sprinkle with a touch of sesame seeds and place on the platter with the carrots.

For the eggs:

  • Using a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt and using a large non-stick pan over medium low heat, heat the olive oil. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and leave flat, filling up the entire pan. Cook your eggs, remove from the pan, cut into long, thin strips and place on the same platter with the vegetables.

For the rice:

  • Place cooked white rice into a large bowl and let cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Starting with 1 tablespoon, mix in the sesame oil and salt. Mix well and taste. Add just a touch more sesame oil if needed but do not overdo it. Your rice only needs a hint of sesame oil for taste. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, mix one last time and set aside.
  • Once you have all of the kimbap filling ingredients ready to go, set up everything at a table, making sure you have everything you need close by.

For the kimbap:

  • Take one sheet of the dried gim and place onto your bamboo mat (make sure the bamboo sticks are horizontal). Spread about a 1/2 cup of cooked, seasoned rice onto 2/3 of the gim, spreading it evenly with your fingers. Tip: leave at least 1 to 2 inches uncovered (with no rice at all) at the top. This will help you to seal your roll at the end.
  • Lay in all of the ingredients (bulgogi, carrots, spinach, eggs, and yellow pickled radish) side by side down at the bottom, leaving about an inch of exposed rice down at the bottom. Using the bamboo mat on the end closest to you, roll from the bottom up and over the ingredients (like you’re rolling a sleeping bag), pressing down gently but firmly to make the fillings stay in. As you continue to roll, pull the mat up and straighten it so that it doesn’t get caught in the roll. Continue until you have reached the edge of the gim.
  • Using your fingers, dab just a little bit of water along the top seam of the dried seaweed and roll to seal it closed. Roll and gently squeeze one last time with the bamboo mat, set aside and continue with the other seaweed sheets.
  • When all of the rolls are finished, using a sharp knife, dip the knife into the water and lift the knife up so the water runs down the blade. This will help you to get a nice, clean cut. Slice each roll into about 8-10 pieces. You can eat the end pieces immediately as these are not flat and usually not placed on the platter. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds and enjoy!

Notes

Note for the cook: You can find all of the items and ingredients below at your local Korean market. This recipe makes 6 rolls.