Cooking Up Recovery: Let’s Make 김밥! (gimbap/kimbap)

Annyeong internet! Today we are going to learn how to make gimbap/kimbap, or what is better recognised as Korean sushi or seaweed rice rolls. It’s history comes from the Japanese-style makizushi when Japan ruled over Korea up until the mid 1940s. It’s basically everything you’d expect form a sushi roll (nori, rice, a protein, vegetables), only with a yummy Korean twist. I made a few adaptations to the original recipe and also lacked a bamboo mat so everything was rolled by hand, but things seemed to have still worked out well. So c’mon and let’s get started! (apologies for lack of photos at this time. I’ll update more later! >.<)

Ingredients:

Nori (roasted seaweed paper; can be found at any Asian market or supermarket)
cooked rice, rough 4 cups
1/2 lb skirt steak (if you can’t find skirt steak, sirloin is a good substitute)
1 large carrot, julienned
pickled yellow radish
small bunch of Vietnamese spinach (regular spinach works well too. I use Vietnamese because the stalks are longer and better shaped for the rolls)
2 tsp soy sauce
1 heaping tablespoon of sugar (white or brown)
salt
8-10 teaspoons sesame oil
2-3 cloves of garlic (I made this optional as my dad has an allergy to it)

Directions

Wash and cook rice as desired. When cooked, place the rice in a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tsp sesame oil and salt. Let cool while preparing the other ingredients.
Wash and trim the ends of the spinach and blanch for a minute in boiling water. Combine with crushed garlic (if desired), a dash of salt, and a drizzle of sesame oil. Set aside to cool.
Combine the julienned carrots with salt. Mix them well and let them sweat for 5-10 minutes while preparing the other ingredients. When time is up, squeeze excess water from carrots and quickly sauté in an oiled pan for 30-40 seconds.
Trim any excess fat from the steaks and cut them into strips roughly 7-15 centimetres long by a 1/2 centimetre wide. Place in a glass bowl and season with 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, salt , and crushed garlic (if desired). Mix well.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat and sear the strips of steak until just cooked (make sure not to overcook – you don’t want them too chewy!)
Place a sheet of seaweed (gim) shiny side down (this lets it stick together)
Cover three-quarters of the sheet of gim with rice (roughly 3/4 cup), using your fingers to spread it out to the edges.
Place strips of beef, spinach, carrots, and radish along the rice as shown below.
Pinching the filling together, use both hands to roll the seaweed. Tuck under as you roll to keep everything as even and smooth as possible (it’s okay if some of the filling extends beyond the roll)
Continue until you have finished up all the ingredients (leftovers are great for bokkeumbap – stay tuned for that recipe!)
Using a sharp knife and a wet paper towel, carefully slice the rolls in a back and forth motion to get even slices. Clean the blade with the paper towel in between cuts so that the pieces come out clean.
And ta da! You have now made gimbap! It’s best served fresh but can stay refrigerated for up to a week (I recommend a bit of reheating before eating as the rice gains flavour when warm).