Gimbap

Preparation

prep: 50 min

total time: 50 minutes

servings makes 4 rolls

Ingredients

For the wraps:

-4 sheets of dried seaweed (nori)

-2 cups cooked rice (still warm)

-2 tbsp sesame oil

-2 tsp salt

For the filling:

-1 carrot, julienned lengthwise

-1 cucumber, julienned lengthwise

-5-8 strips seasoned edible burdock root

-2 large eggs, cut lengthwise

-1/2 lb spinach

-5 pickled radishes, cut into strips

-5 imitation crab strips, cut

-square fishcake, cut into long strips

-gimbap bb8 ham or regular ham

Directions

1. Beat one egg in a bowl. Fry the egg omelette in a pan. Roll and cut the eggs lengthwise.

2. Cut the carrot, crab sticks, radishes, cucumber, and ham into long thin slices.

3. In a heated pan, lightly cook the carrots, crab sticks, fishcakes, and kimbap ham separately for 1 min. each over medium heat. Saute over medium heat. Add a bit more oil to the now empty pan and add the chopped spinach and another pinch of salt. Saute over medium-high heat until the spinach wilts, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Put the rice into a mixing bowl. Add the sesame oil and salt rice and mix well.

5. Place a sheet of seaweed on your sushi rolling mat. Spread the rice over 2/3 of the seaweed, about 1/4 inch thick, leaving the 1/3 of the seaweed furthest from your body. Place the filling ingredients in a line in the middle of the rice.

6. Now to assemble your kimbap. Start with setting your kimbap rolling mat on a work surface. Set a sheet of nori on top of it. Wearing plastic gloves, place a portion of rice on the seaweed sheet and use both hands to spread it evenly all over in a thin layer, leaving about 1-2 inches of the sheet exposed at the top edge. Use sesame oil to coat your fingers so rice doesn't stick.

7. Arrange your fillings across the center of the rice: 1 cucumber stick, some egg strips, 1 ham strips, carrot, cucumber, some of the fishcake strips, 1 burdock strip and 1 crab stick strip.

8. Roll the bamboo mat up and away from you, curling the seaweed sheet and rice around the fillings. Use the fingers of both of your hands to hold the filling in place as you roll with your thumbs. Secure the roll with the exposed flap of seaweed sheet. Once the roll is sealed, gently squeeze, pressing gently on the top and sides, to compress the roll slightly and seal the edge. If it doesn't seal well, you can also wet the seaweed at the seam to help it adhere. Remove the roll from the mat and place it on a cutting board. Coat the rolls with sesame oil before cutting. Cut the roll into 1/2-inch-thick slices and enjoy!