Gimbap (Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls) 紫菜包飯 (韓式飯捲)

Gimbap (김밥) is a popular Korean dish made from cooked rice and various other ingredients, rolled in gim (sheets of dried seaweed) and served in bite-sized slices. It's often enjoyed as a light meal or snack.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked short-grain rice
• 5 sheets gim (dried seaweed for gimbap)
• 200g thinly sliced beef (e.g., bulgogi cut)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 150g fresh spinach
• 5 strips yellow pickled radish (danmuji)
• 5 crab sticks
• 1/2 cucumber, julienned
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil (for rice and seasoning)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (for rice)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (for spinach)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Steps

1. In a large bowl, combine cooked rice with 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well and set aside.
2. Blanch spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain, squeeze out excess water, and season with 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté julienned carrot for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Beat eggs lightly. Heat 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil in the same pan over medium-low heat. Pour in beaten eggs to make thin omelets. Cook until set, then slice into strips. Set aside.
5. In a bowl, marinate beef with soy sauce, sugar, and minced garlic for 10 minutes. Heat 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Stir-fry marinated beef until cooked through. Set aside.
6. Slice yellow pickled radish and crab sticks into long strips if not already. Slice cucumber into long strips.
7. Lay a sheet of gim rough-side up on a bamboo rolling mat. Spread a thin, even layer of seasoned rice over two-thirds of the gim, leaving the top edge bare.
8. Arrange small portions of spinach, carrot, egg, beef, danmuji, crab sticks, and cucumber horizontally across the center of the rice. Carefully roll the gimbap tightly from the bottom edge upwards, using the mat to help compress the roll.
9. Once rolled, brush the outside of the gimbap with a little sesame oil and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Slice each roll into bite-sized pieces (about 1.5 cm thick). Serve immediately.

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