Noodles and Rice

Kimbap / Gimbap

by Stef on March 3rd, 2006

This is kimbap, or gimbap, similar to the Japanese makisushi in preparation but with different ingredients. It became our lunch-on-the-road while traveling recently. Brown rice isn’t the usual main component, but I wanted to increase the fiber content of the dish and I’ve never tried making kimbap or sushi before with brown rice and was curious to see how it would turn out — the kids did eat it! Several sources say because of the already-seasoned ingredients that it’s not necessary to season the rice as well which you would do with Japanese wrapped sushi — but of course this is up to you. Here’s a good recipe in Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall’s Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen, with a few modifications from me:

2 1/2 cups short-grain rice or brown rice
6 ounces beef tenderloin, cut into 1/4 inch by 8-inch strips
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine or vermouth
1 tablespoon sugar
2 green onions, white and pale green part only, finely chopped, divided usage
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided usage
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
10 ounces whole spinach leaves
4 tablespoons rice vinegar or brown rice vinegar

Other ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten and cooked in a thin omelet, then sliced thinly
6 ounces pickled radish, cut into thin strips
10 sheets of kim / nori / laver, about 8 inches square

Pickled ginger for garnish

Cook the rice in a rice cooker according to manufacturer directions (if using brown rice you will have to cook it longer). Combine beef strips, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, half of the green onion, the garlic, 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Let stand for 15 minutes or so while you prepare the other ingredients.

Rinse and drain the spinach. Cook in a dry skillet over medium heat — the remaining water still clinging to the spinach is enough to cook them in. Cook just until spinach is wilted. Drain and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining green onion and 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat well. Set aside.

Cook the beef in the tablespoon of oil over medium high heat just until cooked.

When rice is cooked, transfer to a large shallow pan and let cool for a bit. Season with the rice vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, remaining 1 tablespoon of rice wine, tablespoon of sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Have all ingredients beside you at the ready to make wrapping easier, plus a small bowl of water. Lay bamboo mat in front of you (you will be rolling away from you) and put a piece of seaweed (kim) in front of you, rough side up. Place about 1/2 cup of rice along bottom of seaweed and spread rice evenly to about 3 inches deep from edge of seaweed. Pack rice down using moist fingertips. Place 1 strip of beef, spinach and egg horizontally across rice, pressing firmly on them. Roll seaweed up, enclosing the rice. (This will take a bit of practice if you’re a beginner, but hang in there, you’ll get the hang of it! I had to roll these while we were at the hotel and didn’t have my rolling mat with me. They didn’t turn out perfectly but no one complained:D.) Use mat to continue rolling until seal is tight — you may want to moisten the seaweed a bit with more water, but just a tad. When everything is holding together, transfer roll to a platter. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients. When all the rolls are done, slice each roll into 7 or 8 pieces crosswise, about 3/4 inch thick. Moisten your knife with water every now and then to prevent sticking.

You can make this dish vegetarian by substituting other vegetables for the beef strips, like briefly cooked carrots, green beans, etc. Kimbap is popular in macrobiotic diets because you can adapt it quite easily.

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POSTED IN: Appetizers/Snacks/Nibbles, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Healthy Eating with Asian Food, Vegetarian / Vegan Dishes : Asian