Make basic Korean kimbap, also known as Korean sushi rolls, with our easy and delicious recipe!
This is the kimbap I remember my mom making when I was growing up. It has Spam and fish cakes in it as the processed meat portion. It gives it a really nice salty bite. However, if you prefer an all-veggie version, feel free to omit the Spam and fish cakes and add in extra veggies or even pan-fried tofu strips.
What is kimbap, or gimbap?
Gimbap (김밥), which is usually romanized as kimbap, is a popular Korean dish made with cooked rice (bap), and a variety of filling items such as, vegetables, meats, or fish that is rolled in a sheet of dried seaweed (gim). It is then cut into bite-sized pieces, just like sushi. This is the kind of meal a lot of people like to take to picnics, road trips, or outdoor events. It is so easy to pack and eat once they are made. It also offers a light but filling food option when on the go.
Key features and tips
There are so many varieties of kimbap out there. That is what is great about cooking, you can take our recipe and adjust it to your needs or to your liking. You can add more of anything to your kimbap, or take a filling suggestion out and replace it with something else. That’s why making kimbap is so fun too! Everyone in the family can be involved and make their own kimbap roll based on their own personal preference.
The most time-consuming part is preparing all of the individual fillings. However, it is totally worth this bit of extra time. We stir-fry every vegetable or meat separately since everything has slightly different cooking times. We like there still to be some crunch to the vegetables, like the carrots for example.
Ingredients needed to make our kimbap recipe
- Fresh spinach (with stems intact)
- Salt
- Garlic clove
- Dasida beef soup stock powder
- Carrot
- Eggs
- Spam
- Japanese pickled radish (yellow or white color)
- Fish cake
- Cooked short-grain rice white rice
- 4 sushi Nori sheets
- 2 Tbsp Avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp + 1 ½ tsp Sesame oil
How to make our easy kimbap rolls
Step 1: Prepare the spinach
Let’s first prepare the spinach. Add water to a medium-to-large-sized pot along with the ½ tsp of salt. Bring it to a boil. Then add the spinach to the boiling water. Only keep the spinach in the water for 1 minute, and stir to ensure that all of the leaves are getting blanched. Remove immediately from the boiling water and into a colander. Rinse the blanched spinach with cold water about 4-5 times. Squeeze out as much excess water out of the spinach – this ensures the kimbap won’t be soggy. Transfer the spinach to a small bowl. Add the finely minced garlic, ½ tsp of salt, 1 tsp sesame oil, and the Dasida beef soup stock powder. Set aside for later.
Step 2: Make the pan-fried eggs
Now, let’s prepare the eggs. Beat the eggs well. In a medium-sized frying pan, place on medium-high heat. Next, add in a bit of avocado oil to coat the bottom of the pan well to ensure the eggs don’t stick to the pan. Place the well-beaten eggs in the frying pan. Let the eggs brown and firm up on each side. Remove from heat. Cut the eggs into long strips and set them aside.
Step 3: Stir-fry the Spam strips
Next, we’ll stir fry the Spam strips. Place a bit more oil in the frying pan that you used to cook the eggs. Place the long strips of Spam into the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Step 4: Stir-fry the fish cake strips
Place a bit more oil in the frying pan that you used to cook the Spam in. Place the long strips of flat fish cake into the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Step 5: Stir-fry the carrot strips
Place a bit more oil in the frying pan that you used to cook the fish cake in. Place the long strips of carrots into the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes.
Step 6: Prep the cooked rice
Add ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of sesame oil to the cooked white rice and mix it in well. Allow the rice to cool down before wrapping the kimbap. Note: Warm rice is fine to use, but do not use hot rice.
Step 7: Roll the kimbap
Now it is time to wrap up the first kimbap roll. Place about 1 cup of rice and spread it evenly on the sushi nori sheet. Place a little bit of each of the ingredients towards one end of the sushi nori sheet.
Roll up with a sushi mat. Before cutting, rub a bit of sesame onto the outside of the kimbap roll. Then cut the kimbap roll into bite-sized pieces (like sushi).
Step 8: Repeat and enjoy!
Repeat step 7 until all kimbap rolls are made. Enjoy!
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Easy Korean Kimbap (Gimbap)
Make basic Korean kimbap, also known as Korean sushi rolls, with our easy and delicious recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh spinach (with stems intact)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- ⅛ tsp Dasida beef soup stock powder
- 1 carrot (about ¼” long strips)
- 3 eggs
- ½ can Spam (cut into square long strips)
- 4 slices Japanese pickled radish (yellow or white color - 12” long strips)
- 2 Flat fish cake (½” wide long strips)
- 4 cups cooked short-grain rice*
- 4 sushi Nori sheets
- 2 Tbsp Avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp + 1 ½ tsp Sesame oil
Instructions
- Let’s first prepare the spinach. Add water to a medium-to-large-sized pot along with the ½ tsp of salt. Bring it to a boil. Then add the spinach to the boiling water. Only keep the spinach in the water for 1 minute, and stir to ensure that all of the leaves are getting blanched. Remove immediately from the boiling water and into a colander. Rinse the blanched spinach with cold water about 4-5 times. Squeeze out as much excess water out of the spinach - this ensures the kimbap won’t be soggy. Transfer the spinach to a small bowl. Add the finely minced garlic, ½ tsp of salt, 1 tsp sesame oil, and the Dasida beef soup stock powder. Set aside for later.
- Now, let’s prepare the eggs. Beat the eggs well. In a medium-sized frying pan, place on medium-high heat. Next, add in a bit of avocado oil to coat the bottom of the pan well to ensure the eggs don’t stick to the pan. Place the well-beaten eggs in the frying pan. Let the eggs brown and firm up on each side. Remove from heat. Cut the eggs into long strips and set them aside.
- Next, we’ll stir fry the Spam strips. Place a bit more oil in the frying pan that you used to cook the eggs. Place the long strips of Spam into the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Place a bit more oil in the frying pan that you used to cook the Spam in. Place the long strips of flat fish cake into the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Place a bit more oil in the frying pan that you used to cook the fish cake in. Place the long strips of carrots into the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of sesame oil to the cooked white rice and mix it in well. Allow the rice to cool down before wrapping the kimbap. Note: Warm rice is fine to use, but do not use hot rice.
- Now it is time to wrap up the first kimbap roll. Place about 1 cup of rice and spread it evenly on the sushi nori sheet. Place a little bit of each of the ingredients towards one end of the sushi nori sheet (see pictures). Roll up with a sushi mat. Before cutting, rub a bit of sesame onto the outside of the kimbap roll. Then cut the kimbap roll into bite-sized pieces (like sushi).
- Repeat step 7 until all kimbap rolls are made. Enjoy!
Notes
*Make sure the rice is rinsed really well until the water runs clear when you go to cook it
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