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Kimbap!
It’s my fav of fave picnic food, as all other Koreans!
I have so many lovely memories about kimbap…
The weather getting warmer and it’s just so perfect to go picnic!! I love going picnic, feeling beautiful sunshine, flowers, green trees, light wind.. I just love being out to park, beach and etc.
When I was young, going picnic, hiking or field trip from school, my mom always wakes up early early morning and made kimbap for my lunch box. Which about 80% of parentsdoes. I remember wake up by sesame oil smell and sounds of my mom’s cooking and making kimbap. It is a treasure memory for me. 🙂
My mom always made bulgogi kimbap because that was her 3 daughters favorite. Around year 2000, there were a lot of kimbap restaurant chains started opening up like crazy, which was great for everyone who wanted to enjoy gimbap without going through all the trouble of cooking! lol
(Kimbap takes lots of work, to be honest, but it definitely worth to try!!)
It seems like worked out well with my mom too, since then she stopped making kimbap for us…
One day, I told her how much I miss her kimbap that she used to make for us. So I asked if she would make it one day. She said“Sure!” The next day I received 2 rolls of gimbap from my mom that wrapped in aluminum foil. I saw inside filling, there wasbraised burdock in that kimbap. I asked mom if she really made those kimbap and she saidwhy even I’m questioning about it? So I go, “Mom, you never have made only 2 rolls ofkimbap, besides you never wrapped in aluminum foil like the kimbap chain restaurants does. You always place in a container with a lid nicely. Also you never, ever, EVERput braised burdock in your kimbap… I said I want your kimbap that you made…” She was so shocked that I remember her food so well. After that, she made her youngest daughter a homemadekimbap to keep her happy. 🙂
This is my gimbap story that I always share with people when I make kimbap. 🙂
I hope you enjoy this homemade kimbap, because homemade food is not only about the taste but the memory comes with it… I hope all of you guys make a beautiful & lovely memory with your family and friends while makingkimbap at home… ❤
Gimbap (Kimbap)
- Author: Seonkyoung Longest
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2 to 4 1x
Description
Makes 6 to 7 Gimbap
Ingredients
Scale
For Bulgogi
- 8 oz beef, cut into thin small strips
- 1 Tbs soy sauce
- 1 Tbs mirin
- 1 Tbs sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp black pepper For Egg Omelet
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cooking oil
For Carrot
- 1 Tbs oil
- 6 oz carrot, shredded
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For Rest of Filling
- 6 to 7 imitation crabmeat, cut into halves into lengthwise
- 5 oz Danmooji (Korean yellow pickled radish), cut into 6 to 7 long sticks
- 3 oz cucumber, cut into 6 to 7 long sticks or 8 oz Korean spinach (CLICK HERE for the Recipe)
For Rice
- 3 cups warm cooked short or medium grain rice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbs sesame oil
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 6 to 7 Gim (Dried seaweed sheet/Nori)
- sesame oil and seeds as needed
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for beef in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Meanwhile beef is marinating make egg omelet by crack and beat 4 eggs with salt. Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat; add oil and coat skillet evenly using a paper towel. Pour half of beaten eggs, swirl to evenly spread. Reduce heat to medium and cook egg until settle, about 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip it over and cook another 1 minutes. Remove from skillet and repeat with rest of beaten eggs. Let it cool and slice into 4 long and wide strips, set aside.
- Heat same skillet we cooked eggs over high heat; add oil, carrot, salt and pepper. Sauté carrot about 2 minutes or until soften. Remove from skillet and set a side.
- Using same skillet; over high heat, add marinated beef. Sauté until all moisture evaporated, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for rice. Mix everything together with a spatula, as a cutting action. Cover with damp towel so it won’t dry out while we are rolling gimbap.
- Place a bamboo roller(or any roller you are using) on a work surface, place gim(dried seaweed sheet) shiny side down, rough side up. Place 1/2 cup of seasoned rice and spread evenly about 2/3 of dried seaweed that close to you. If rice sticks to your finger tips too much, wet your hand with a bit of water.
- Place egg omelet, crap meat, spinach/cucumber, carrot, beef and danmooji horizontally on a third of dried seaweed that close to you.
- Place your thumbs under bamboo roller with gimbap to support and hold filing tightly with rest of fingers. Give a little pressure and roll a corner closest to you over filling. Take end of bamboo roller and continue rolling until it’s closed. Now, wrap gimbap with bamboo roller completely and give a light pressure to secure. Unroll bamboo roller and place gimbap seam side down on a plate. Repeat with rest of ingredients.
- When you are ready to slice, coat gimbap with generous amount of sesame oil all over along with your knife. This will prevent rice stick to your knife so much. Slice gimbap into 1/2 to 3/4-inch and sprinkle with some sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to switch and play with the filling ingredients, there is no limit! You can use spam, hotdog, pork, bacon, chicken or fried tofu. Add kimchi alway add nice kick to gimbap as well. 🙂 
For Tuna Gimbap
Combine 7 oz drained tuna in oil with 3 Tbs mayonnaise and pinch of black pepper. I recommend to add perilla leaves and cucumber as addition filling ingredients for tuna gimbap.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
