How to Make Gimbap

Gimbap is half preparation

Gimbap is seasoned rice spread on a sheet of seaweed, topped with several fillings, rolled into a cylinder and sliced. It is the classic picnic and outing lunch and one of the most common items at Korean snack shops. It looks similar to Japanese sushi rolls, but the rice is seasoned with salt and sesame oil instead of vinegar, and the fillings are cooked or stir-fried. With gimbap, preparation matters more than the rolling itself. Once every filling is cut into long strips, cooked, drained and cooled, rolling takes only a few minutes.

Ingredients (example for four rolls)

These are typical ranges. Fillings differ from home to home, so use what you have; around five kinds is enough for a proper gimbap flavor.

• 4 sheets of gimbap seaweed
• About 4 bowls of warm cooked rice, a little salt, 1 to 2 tbsp sesame oil, a few toasted sesame seeds
• 4 strips of yellow pickled radish, some braised burdock root (optional)
• 1 bunch of spinach, 1 carrot
• 3 to 4 eggs (cooked into a thick omelet and cut into long strips)
• Enough ham, fish cake or imitation crab for 4 rolls

Method

Prepare all the fillings first and season the rice last. A bamboo mat helps, but you can also roll firmly by hand.

• Blanch the spinach briefly in salted water, rinse in cold water, squeeze out the water and season with salt and sesame oil
• Cut the carrot into thin strips and stir-fry in oil with a pinch of salt; cut the ham or fish cake into long strips and lightly pan-fry
• Beat the eggs with a little salt, cook into a thick omelet and cut into long strips
• Mix salt, sesame oil and sesame seeds into the warm rice with a cutting motion and let it cool slightly
• Place the seaweed rough side up and spread the rice thinly, leaving 2 to 3 cm bare at the far edge
• Line the fillings up slightly in front of the center of the rice and roll tightly from the near side, wrapping them in
• Let the finished roll rest seam side down for a moment before slicing

When rolls burst or come undone

The most common reason a roll splits is too much rice or filling. Starting with thin rice and fewer fillings makes success easier. Rice that is too hot makes the seaweed soggy and wrinkled so it tears, so let it cool slightly. Rice that has gone cold, on the other hand, does not stick and the end comes loose. To seal the end, mash a few grains of rice onto the bare edge or dab it with a little water. Wet fillings soak the seaweed and make it tear, so drain the spinach and pickled radish well.

Slicing cleanly

Rolls get squashed or lose their filling when the knife is dull or rice sticks to the blade. Brush a sharp knife lightly with sesame oil, or wipe it with a damp cloth between cuts, for clean slices. Do not press down; use a back-and-forth sawing motion. Brushing a thin layer of sesame oil on the outside and sprinkling sesame seeds adds shine and slows drying a little. Slicing just before eating, rather than all at once, keeps the cut faces from drying out.

Variations

Change the fillings and the possibilities are endless. Tuna mixed with mayonnaise and wrapped in perilla leaves makes tuna gimbap, and leftover bulgogi or stir-fried kimchi makes bulgogi or kimchi gimbap. There is also mini gimbap, rolled finger-thin and dipped in mustard sauce. If leftover gimbap has hardened in the fridge, dip the slices in beaten egg and pan-fry them for a soft, savory result. Use tofu, mushrooms or burdock instead of meat and ham for a vegetarian version.

Cooking it in Japan or abroad

If you cannot find gimbap seaweed, standard full-size roasted nori sheets are almost the same size and work as is. Korean yellow pickled radish is the same family as Japanese takuan, so it substitutes directly. Komatsuna instead of spinach and fish sausage or imitation crab instead of gimbap ham also fit well. Just remember not to add vinegar to the rice the way you would for sushi.

Food safety and allergies

Gimbap is made by handling cooked fillings and rice, and the rice has no vinegar, so it spoils easily if left at room temperature on hot days. Wash your hands or wear food-safe gloves, roll only after the fillings have cooled completely, and when packing it for lunch keep it with an ice pack and eat it as soon as you can. Do not eat it if it smells or tastes off. Allergens are many: eggs, pork and wheat in ham, fish and shellfish ingredients in fish cake and imitation crab, sesame in sesame oil, egg in mayonnaise. Check the allergies of everyone who will eat it in advance.