Kimbap

Name: Kimbap
Prep time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 360 g (2 cups) short-grain white rice, uncooked — makes ~4 rolls; 540 ml (2¼ cups) cold water for cooking the rice; 4 sheets toasted nori (gim, 20 × 18 cm); 4 strips danmuji (yellow pickled radish), cut to nori length, ~1 cm thick; 100 g baby spinach (or 1 small bunch regular spinach); 2 medium carrots (~150 g), julienned 0.5 × 0.5 × 8 cm matchsticks; 3 large eggs; 200 g imitation crab sticks (or cooked ham, or tuna mixed with mayo); 100 g cucumber (1 small Korean cucumber or 1/3 English cucumber), seeded and cut into long batons; 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil (1.5 tbsp for the rice, 0.5 tsp for spinach, the rest for the outer rub); 1.5 tsp fine salt (1 tsp for the rice, pinches for veg and eggs); 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds; 1 tbsp neutral oil for cooking the eggs and carrots; 0.5 tsp ground white pepper; Bamboo rolling mat (gimbal) + plastic wrap

Kimbap — literally seaweed rice — is South Korea's national snack and the perfect food for picnics, long journeys, or a quick lunch. Sesame-oil seasoned rice is wrapped with various fillings (carrot, spinach, eggs, sausage, danmuji, cheese) in a nori sheet and sliced into rounds. It resembles sushi visually but has no vinegar in the rice and a completely different flavor profile. Kimbap emerged in colonial Korea (20th century) and quickly evolved into its own form. Today there are hundreds of variants: tuna kimbap, kimchi kimbap, bulgogi beef kimbap. Kimbap restaurants appear on every street in Korea and offer the best value in Korean cuisine.

Total time1h

Active time50m

Servings4

DifficultyEasy

Cost$$

Add to my meal plan

❤️

Rich in protein

Filling and nutritious

🐟

Rich in omega-3

Light and healthy

⭐

Traditional recipe

Authentic taste

Ingredients 4 servings

360 g (2 cups) short-grain white rice, uncooked — makes ~4 rolls
540 ml (2¼ cups) cold water for cooking the rice
4 sheets toasted nori (gim, 20 × 18 cm)
4 strips danmuji (yellow pickled radish), cut to nori length, ~1 cm thick
100 g baby spinach (or 1 small bunch regular spinach)
2 medium carrots (~150 g), julienned 0.5 × 0.5 × 8 cm matchsticks
3 large eggs
200 g imitation crab sticks (or cooked ham, or tuna mixed with mayo)
100 g cucumber (1 small Korean cucumber or 1/3 English cucumber), seeded and cut into long batons
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil (1.5 tbsp for the rice, 0.5 tsp for spinach, the rest for the outer rub)
1.5 tsp fine salt (1 tsp for the rice, pinches for veg and eggs)
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp neutral oil for cooking the eggs and carrots
0.5 tsp ground white pepper
Bamboo rolling mat (gimbal) + plastic wrap

How to make it

1Rinse 360 g rice in cold water 3–4 times until the water runs clear, drain well, then put in a heavy pot with 540 ml fresh cold water, bring to a boil uncovered over medium-high heat (3–4 min), cover, reduce to the lowest possible heat and cook 12 minutes without lifting the lid, then remove from heat and rest covered 10 minutes until the rice is tender, slightly sticky, with separate grains.
2While the rice is still hot, transfer it to a wide bowl, drizzle 1.5 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds over the top and fold gently with a rice paddle in cutting motions — never stir aggressively or the grains break and turn mushy — then cover with a damp cloth and let cool to lukewarm (10–15 min).
3Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and blanch 100 g spinach for 30 seconds until just wilted, then drain and rinse under cold water immediately to stop the cooking and preserve the bright green colour, squeeze in your fist as hard as possible to remove all water (wet spinach ruins the roll) and season with 0.5 tsp sesame oil and a pinch of salt.
4Heat 1 tsp neutral oil in a small pan over medium heat, add 150 g julienned carrot and a pinch of salt and stir-fry 2 minutes until just softened but still crisp, then tip onto a plate to cool — limp, oily carrots will break the roll.
5Beat 3 eggs with a pinch of salt and 0.5 tsp white pepper, heat 1 tsp neutral oil in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat, pour in the eggs and tilt the pan to form a thin even sheet 25 × 20 cm, cook 2 minutes until set on top without flipping, then slide onto a board, let cool 2 minutes and cut into 4 long strips the width of the nori.
6Cut 100 g cucumber lengthwise into 8 long batons and scrape the seedy core out with a teaspoon, split 200 g crab sticks in half lengthwise and cut 4 strips of danmuji to nori length, then arrange everything on a tray in the order you'll lay them: spinach, carrot, cucumber, crab, egg, danmuji.
7Place the bamboo mat with the slats running horizontally and lay a sheet of nori shiny-side down, then with wet fingers spread ~150 g rice in a thin even layer over the bottom 3/4 of the nori while leaving a clean 4 cm strip at the far edge, and about 3 cm in from the near edge line up one strip each of spinach, carrot, cucumber, crab, egg and danmuji in a tight bundle, then lift the near edge of the mat and roll firmly forward, tucking the fillings under the rice with the first roll and continuing to roll tightly to the far edge, then press along the seam to seal.
8Brush the outside of each roll lightly with 0.5 tsp sesame oil to make the nori glossy and prevent it from sticking to the knife, wipe a sharp knife with a damp cloth between cuts, then slice each roll into 8 even rounds with one decisive push (no sawing) for 32 pieces total, arrange on a plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds — eat within 4 hours of rolling and never refrigerate kimbap.