Kimbap is a traditional Korean dish made from cooked rice and a variation of ingredients that are rolled in kim – dried sheets of seaweed. Every mom has some variation of it and really, the ingredients can be anything you wish! My mom makes the best ones with Korean marinated beef, carrots, egg, pickled radish and spinach. I also really enjoy ones filled with tuna and stay away from the ones where anchovies are the highlight.
It is the iconic packed lunch for kids going on field trips or for a picnic at the lake. We’ve also made it for our hikes and camping trips because the bite sized pieces make it really easy! And then sometimes, you just try to fill it with whatever you have left over in your fridge, just because.
Either way, preparing food is definitely a sign of love and care. Similar to this sandwich recipe, Newlyweds Diary was a TV show which followed TV star newlyweds Ku Hye-Sun and Ahn Jae-Hyun. In one endearing episode, Ahn Jae-Hyun needs to leave home for a 2 day business trip and before he leaves, in the early morning he gets up to make kimbap for his wife so she has something to eat while he’s out! This kimbap uses kimchi because he has no pickled radish on hand and doesn’t use as many ingredients as the traditional kimbaps but it’s simple, easy and delicious! If you’re often stocked with the standard Korean seasonings then you should find most of these ingredients at home! And if you don’t, just substitute whatever is in your fridge.
“I had told him I wanted gimbap”
| Servings |
2 rolls (1 serving)
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- ⅓ lb (160 g) beef
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1½ Tbsp mirin
- 1½ tsp sesame oil
- ⅔ tsp minced garlic
- Black pepper to taste
- 1½ cups white rice
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup kimchi
- 1½ tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp sugar
- Sprinkle of sesame seeds *optional
- 4 leaves perilla
Ingredients
Beef
Rice
Filling
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- Thinly slice the beef. In a bowl, place in the beef and add the beef marinade ingredients and mix well together. Marinate for about 10 minutes. Heat a frypan with oil and stir fry the beef until well cooked through. Set aside.
- Place 1 1/2 cup rice in a large bowl. Gently mix in 2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. Let cool so it's not steaming hot when ready to roll the gimbap.
- Whisk two eggs in a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Heat a large frypan to medium-low heat, drizzle a few drops of oil and pour the egg mixture into the pan. Spread the egg in a large circle so it fills the pan and the egg is thin. When the bottom of the egg is cooked, flip it over with a spatula until both sides are cooked but not browned. Set on to a cutting board and cut into thin slices.
- Cut the kimchi into thin and bite size strips. For the white parts particularly, make sure they are cut thin. Mix well with the 1 ½ tsp sesame oil, ½ tsp sugar and sesame seeds if using.
- Place a sheet of gim on a bamboo mat with the shiny side down and longer side toward you. Spread half the rice over the gim evenly using a spoon or your fingers. Leave about 1 ½ - 2 inches of the top uncovered. *Sometimes to help seem the top, i place small bits of the rice at the top to help seal when rolled.
- Place 2 perilla leaves on the center of the rice. Place half of the beef, egg and kimchi on the center.
- Lift the bottom bamboo edge with both hands, and roll the mat over the filling tightl - away from you and tuck in the filling with your fingers. Press it firmly as you roll the gimbap. Brush the roll with just a little bit of sesame oil for an extra burst of flavor and the shiny apperance.
- Repeat it one more time. Enjoy! It’s also great with ramyun!
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