Gimbap Night

I present to you – Gimbap!  Be careful – these are addictive.

Gimbap topped with spinach, avocado and kimchee

Gimbap is essentially rice with a type of meat and/or egg and vegetables wrapped in dried seaweed (gim).

When our friends Dave and Sae invited us over for a gimbap rolling night one evening, Matt and I jumped at the opportunity to have a homemade Korean meal and learn a little more about the process of rolling gimbap.   I had made homemade sushi rolls before, but hadn’t yet ventured into lunch box Korean gimbap territory.  Thanks to their generosity, Matt and I were able to partake in a delicious meal of gimbap and beer in the company of great friends, I learned some great tips on making gimbap, and Matt learned that he may have been a gimbap roller in another life.

Some of the ingredients – fried egg, carrot salad (carrots mixed with sesame oil, pepper and sesame seeds), and spinach salad (boiled spinach and scallions mixed with sesame oil and sesame seeds)

For the fried egg, cook the egg like it’s a flat omelet and cut into long strips.  There are various techniques for this, but I’ve found the simplest way is to just lightly beat 2-3 eggs in a bowl, add a little water, and pour the beaten egg into a hot pan with a little bit of olive oil.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat on one side and flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side.  Slide the omelet onto a cutting board and carefully slice into long strips.

To make the roll, spread a thin layer of rice on a piece of gim placed on top of a bamboo mat (which you can also find at any Asian grocery store or at Whole Foods in the seafood section).  Ideally, the rice should be cold or at room temperature.  Hot rice will make the gim soggy.  It won’t ruin the roll to use hot rice - I’ve used hot rice before out of impatience (Matt and I were really hungry) – but it does have a better consistency if you use cooler rice.

At the edge closest to you, pile up your ingredients.  For these rolls, we used egg, carrot salad, spinach salad, bulgogi and pickled radish.  (You can be like me and make mega rolls with so much filling that your roll is ginormous! Mega Rolls!!)

The pickled radish are those yellow shiny strips.  They are also known as danmuji.  You can find them at any Asian grocery store in the refrigerated section. Look for the scary warning on the package that the coloring is proven to cause cancer in laboratory animals.  (I will say I have avoided purchasing it for that very reason, but I figure in small quantities it’s OK… right?)  The pickled radish provides a pleasant crunch and contrast to the rest of the more mellow flavors in the roll.

Sae – Master Roller #1

To roll, carefully lift the edge of the bamboo mat over the pile and sort of gently, but firmly, press the bamboo mat down and towards you, compressing the ingredients and slightly tucking the bamboo mat into the roll.  Continue to gently push the roll along, guiding the roll with the help of the bamboo mat.  (For some reason the saying “Tuck and roll – tuck and roll!” keeps repeating in my head as a I write this.  Sorry for the poor explanation…)

Matt – Master Roller #2

Matt showing me the making of his glorious soon-to-be snake roll

Gimbap rolls lightly brushed (finger brushed?) with sesame oil

Matt’s snake roll

Better than any restaurant

Ever since that wonderful dinner, I’ve been going gimbap crazy.

Egg and Chinese sausage kimbap – cooked slices of Chinese sausage, egg and avocado

If you have a good Korean grocery store near you, you can buy pre-made Korean side dishes.  I usually throw these fillings into whatever rolls I am making.

Preparing spam and egg gimbap