This recipe for kimbap (Korean seaweed rice rolls) is my mother’s. Here are step-by-step instructions to make home preparation easy.
When I go to Korean stores, I often pick up a package of store-made kimbap, Korean seaweed rice rolls or Korean sushi rolls, to eat in the car driving back home. Then, I usually regret it because it is not nearly as good as homemade kimbap, especially the kind my mother used to make.
Kimbap (gimbap, 김밥) might seem like a labor intensive food, due to all the ingredients you have to prepare separately. However, it is not as bad as you think, and the outcome is rewarding.
These Korean seaweed rice rolls are very versatile. They are a perfect finger food, so it’s great for a meal-on-the-go. You can also feed a person or a crowd at a party, depending on how many you want to make.
Kimbap travels well. As a result, they will look beautiful at a potluck party or on your picnic table. In fact, it is widely popular as a picnic food in Korea. From the young to the “young at heart,” everyone loves and enjoys anytime, anywhere.
I want to share my mother’s recipe for this traditional rice rolls. Her recipe is one of my easy Korean recipes for Korean seaweed rolls. You can see that it has a beautiful, defined look because of the pattern created by the rice and the combination of ingredients. There’s a trick how to accomplish that look.
There are many different versions depending on what ingredients you add inside. I am sharing the traditional classic recipe from my mother. If you are interested in other ideas, my cookbook, Korean Cooking Favorites, has a great recipe for “Salad Kimbap.” Please check it out.
What to Put in Kimbap
- For vegetables; spinach, carrot, cucumber, Asian chives, watercress, perilla leaves, lettuce
- For pickled vegetables; radish pickles, cucumber pickles, jalapeno pickles, burdock roots
- For proteins; egg, canned tuna, beef, ham, bacon, pork or pork belly, shrimp tempura, seasoned anchovies, spicy shredded squid
- Other fillings; fishcakes, imitation crab meats, and etc
Depending on the ingredients you select, you can make yours vegan or vegetarian.
Rice Choice
Kimbap rice has to be short or medium white grain rice. Long grain rice won’t work because the rice needs to have a level of stickiness to adhere to the sheets of seaweed. You will want to cook your rice with slightly less water than usual for a better texture.
There are three ways to season the rice to make kimbap.
- sesame oil and salt
- vinegar, sugar, salt mixture (similar to sushi rice)
- Korean plum extract (mashil chung, 매실청) and salt
You can use any of the choices above to season your rice according to your taste. Typically, people like to season their rice with sesame oil and salt. I am not a huge fan of a strong sesame oil fragrance in kimbap, though. My mother always used Korean plum extract to season her rice and everyone who tasted her kimbap voted hers the best.
Seaweed Sheets
You will see several kinds of seaweeds in Korean stores. Look for dark (almost black), dense, roasted seaweed sheets (Gim, 김).
If the seaweed has any hint of red or purple hue, avoid it. It is old and has turned rancid. Once opened, I recommend keeping your seaweed in the freezer for longer storage. Seaweed can go rancid easily if exposed to the sun and humidity.
How to Make Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls
These are the classic kimbap ingredients: spinach, carrot, egg, imitation crab meat, fish cake sheets, braised burdock roots, and radish pickles.
Drizzle 2 tbsp of Korean plum extract and a couple pinches salt over freshly cooked rice and toss well. Cover rice with a kitchen towel and let it cool.
It’s convenient to use a store-bought radish pickles and burdock roots combo that can be easily purchased at Korean stores. Make sure to drain them well before using. Remove the plastic wrap from the imitation crab meat and set aside.
For the eggs: Beat eggs and cook in a skillet in 3 batches. Roll them up and slice thinly
For the carrots: cook shredded carrot in a little oil, add salt. Add 2 tbsp of water to create some steam and cover with a lid. Cook for 2 minutes until crisp but tender.
For the fishcake: slice fishcake sheets thinly and stir-fry in a little oil for 1 minute. Mix together soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine, and then add the mixture to the fish cake. Continue to stir-fry for another minute.
For the spinach: blanch spinach in boiling water with some salt. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out the excess moisture. Season with salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Toss well.
How To Roll Kimbap
Get your ingredients ready to create a kimbap station. Cut 3 sheets of seaweed in half and set aside.
Place a full sheet of seaweed, shiny side down, longer side toward you, on a bamboo rolling mat. Spread about 1 cup of rice (1/6 amount) evenly on the seaweed leaving 1 inch of space at the end. Lay a half seaweed sheet in the middle of rice.
Put filling ingredients on top of the half seaweed sheet in a contrasting color pattern.
Lift the entire end of mat from your side with both hands, roll over to cover the fillings, tucking in the filling with your fingers. Put firm pressure on the roll and continue to roll again as you roll away the mat until it reaches to the end.
The finished kimbap should have an even thickness. Place on a platter, seam side down, while you are making another. Cut kimbap into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Tips For Making Perfect Seaweed Rice Rolls
- Grease your fingers with a little bit of oil when spreading rice on the seaweed to avoid the rice sticking to your fingers.
- For the same reason, apply a little oil to the blade of your knife with a brush when you slice kimbap.
If you like this post or have tried this recipe, please rate it below by clicking stars in the comment section. Stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Kimbap, Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
For the rice
- 2 cups uncooked short grain white rice
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 tbsp Korean plum extract (maeshil cheong)
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the filling ingredients
- 6 strips pickled radish (danmuji), 1/2 inch thick drained
- 6-12 strips braised burdock root (Oeong) drained
- 6 strips imitation crab meat
- 2 tbsp oil divided
- 10 oz package shred carrot
- 2 tbsp water
- 4 eggs beaten
For the fishcake
- 3 sheets flat fishcake sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sweet rice wine (mirim)
- 1 tbsp corn syrup
For the spinach
- 1 bunch spinach
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- dashes toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- For the rice; Rinse rice several times and drain. Soak rice in 2 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes. Cook rice until soft. Put hot rice in a large mixing bowl, add plum extract and salt; toss well. Cover rice with a kitchen towel and set aside to cool.
- For the eggs: Beat eggs and cook in a skillet in 3 batches. Roll them up and slice thinly
- For the carrots: cook shredded carrot in a little oil, add salt. Add 2 tbsp of water to create some steam and cover with a lid. Cook for 2 minutes until crisp but tender.
- For the fishcake: slice fishcake sheets thinly and stir-fry in a little oil for 1 minute. Mix together soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine, and then add the mixture to the fish cake. Continue to stir-fry for another minute.
- For the spinach: blanch spinach in boiling water with some salt. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out the excess moisture. Season with salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Toss well.
To assemble
- Cut 3 sheets of seaweed in half and set aside.
- Place a full sheet of seaweed, shiny side down, longer side toward you, on a bamboo rolling mat. Spread about 1 cup of rice (1/6 amount) evenly on the seaweed leaving 1 inch of space at the end. Lay a half seaweed sheet in the middle of rice.
- Put filling ingredients on top of the half seaweed sheet in a contrasting color pattern.
- Lift the entire end of mat from your side with both hands, roll over to cover the fillings, tucking in the filling with your fingers. Put firm pressure on the roll and continue to roll again as you roll away the mat until it reaches to the end.
- Place the finished kimbap on a platter, seam side down, while you are making another. Cut kimbap into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Oh, this is bringing back so many lunchtime memories! I'm half-Korean and grew up in the States, and sometimes my mom would pack kimbap for my lunch, which I loved, except when some other kids teased me for my "weird" food!
kimbap always reminds me of being a kid. we always had it for road trips and picnics too, i really should make some!
I like how you are so precise with your step-by-step food pics (never would have thought about cooking rice in a cast iron pot), but that memory about Mi-gyoung is too precious! You're not only a fantastic cook, but also a great storyteller.
Your kimbap looks so mouthwatering…! Everytime I a visit a blog and somebody makes kimbap or sushi, I always think, 'I need to make this tomorrow!' ;). The story of that old classmate of yours is so funny, but often quiet people have got surprising talents. And the surprise is often doubled, because they tend to be so introvert and quiet ;).
@4bed61f208a84803d3710771a1019d05
Thanks Rowena.
@9ddada242b78c88059a25a727b6c7e93:disqus
Hope you can make Kimbap soon. Yes, I agree that the surprise is doubled because it exceeds the expectation you had. Thanks.
I'm so excited to try this recipe. It looks delicious and it's one of my favorite things! Is there a dipping sauce you usually make with it?
@ce447ac57cc910942e49530e7174c48d:disqus
I don't use dipping sauce. It is just good to eat without it. However, I often make simple miso soup to go with though.
ohh, this brings me back to my days living in seoul! i miss kimbap! I have a question. I live in Cairo now, and their rice is short grain so I think it will be fine…IF I can't find (or afford at the expensive import stores) rice vinegar, what do I do???
Thanks!
Hi Lori
rice vinegar is the best option but if you can't find one, sub with sherry
wine vinegar or white vinegar. Use a little less amount since rice vinegar
is milder than the other kinds.
Hope you enjoy your stay in Egypt.
Holly
Wow. Looks fabulous, I am going to give this a try.
Hi there! I made this recipe the other day and now I've been asked to repeat it again, but for double the people! Can you simply double the rice and vinegar portions? Or should it be to some other ratio? thanks!
Yes. If you are doubling the amount of rice, you can double the vinegar seasoning mixture as well. You've must made them very well last time. They like to put you to work! Have fun making them!
Yum I love whenever my mom makes this! Hopefully I can make it for myself now.
Wow, this looks delicious. I must try it sometime soon. I love sushi of all forms and although there is no raw fish here, it looks delicious. I am not sure where I would find the fish cake, but I am sure I can substitute.
May I ask, why must we put kelp into the rice in water?
Hi, the rice seasoning in this kimbap recipe is closed to the Japanese sushi rice which my family often use. Sea kelp adds nice flavor. You can omit the kelp if you prefer without it.
Our family loves making and eating kimbap! We play around with the fillings – sometimes adding different things like avocado, cucumber or kimchee. But I don’t like that there is saccharine in the pickled radish. The radish is really an essential flavor that is needed and the kimbap tastes bland without it. So my question: is there a way to make the pickled radish at home, so that I can keep the saccharine out?
Also – I loved your story about your childhood friend. Now everytime I make kimbap for my daughter’s lunch I hum Billy Jean to myself and smile!
Hi Linda
Yes, you can make pickled radish at home. Get a Korean or daikon radish and and slice into long strips (the size you desire for making kimbap). Sprinkle 1/4 cup of coarse salt per radish and let it soak for 1 hour. Drain the liquid that has been extracted from the radish.
In a pot combine 1 cup vinegar + 1/2 cup water + 1/4 cup sugar together and bring to a boil stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from heat and pour over the radish. Let it sit in the room temperature for 4 hours, then keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and your radish will be ready to serve. Store them in the fridge for as long as you want.
It is nice that your family enjoy making Kimbap. It is a great family activity, isn’t it?
Delicious! Mine didn’t look like the picture, but they were still good.
I believe that taste is more important than the look when it comes to a food. Glad to hear you liked it. Thanks!
Hi! I loved reading this post! Thank you! Great stories that made me laugh! I was inspired to make Kimbap and blogged about it at http://foodflavorfascination.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/black-beauty-kim-bap/
I love how you called the Kimbap “Black Beauty.” It reminded me of some memories.
I’ll have to try making the pickled radish too.
Thanks Samantha. You did a great job with your kimbap.I enjoyed reading your post.
I love your recipe.. And i really enjoy your story.
김밥에 김치하고 함께 먹어도 너~~~~~~~~무 맛있어요^^
캬! 맛있죠 그렇게 먹으면…
I made these for my family and they turned out great! Thank you for this recipe!
How would the rice cooking change if I want to use brown short grain rice instead?
Wow!! you my friend are just simply AMAZING!! I love the humor you bring to the table so to speak =) I just wanted to say that the recipe you have listed is the best one I have came across so far *and my search is done now since I found you* Thank-you for being so awesome!
How to keep the rice rolls fresh if made them a day before?
Thanks.
You can’t. You need to consume on the day you made. They don’t keep well in the fridge.
I realy like your blog. This is the first time I see this blog. Yes, i like the way you show how to roll the kimbap. Thank you for sharing.
Hello, Holly! I’ve been reading your various recipes as I prepare for a big Korean lunch tomorrow with guests! I’m trying your cola braised Korean chicken + my other usual panchans. 🙂 I’ve made kimpop from another recipe, and they were good, but something was not quite right. I never steamed my carrots (!!) and I never rinsed the radish (!!!) which may be the missing steps. Thank you for the details that help a non-Korean wanna be chef!
Question: is there a specific way to cut the kim-pop? I’ve tried using different knives, but have trouble with my seaweed tearing or the kim-pop tearing apart while I try to separate them. Am I not pressing the roll tight enough? Any input is appreciated!!!
Thanks from your Padawan Learner,
Jessica 🙂
Hi Jessica
Sharpen your knife before cutting. Avoid serrated knife. Instead of pushing down motion, use jigsaw motion to cut through the seaweed layer. Also try not to cut each slice too thin, at least 1/2″ thick slices unless you have a very sharp knife. I usually wipe my knife with a damp cloth (or wet paper towel) per each kimbap roll before you cut to remove the stickiness from the rice in the previous roll. Basically you wipe off the sticky residue from your knife every roll you cut.
Coat your kimbap roll with a little sesame oil or other oil by using your hand or brush, just to bring a little shine. It also help strengthen the seaweed.
Hope all these tip will help. Tearing happens sometimes but I like it because the torn piece can go into my mouth immediately. 🙂
Thank you so much for your blog! My husband is half Korean, and my mother-in-law has taught me to cook a lot of Korean food. Your recipes are authentic and delicious 🙂 My mother-in-law doesn’t have her recipes written down, and whenever I refer to this blog when I have a question, it turns out just like hers! YAY! Thank you! Do you have a recipe for kongnamul soup?
I posted Beef and Bean Sprout Soup yesterday. Hope you get to try it. There are may versions of Kongnamul soup. I will remember to post as much as I can.
Thank you Ms.Holly for a visually beautiful guide on how to make a kimbap! I’m really thankful for your detailed instructions which is easy to follow. And I have just read your introduction in the ABOUT page, aw, it so sweet of you Ma’am, to create this blog as a gift for your children.. May God bless you more Madamme and your family ’cause you deserve it!
P.S. What camera did you use Ma’am? You’re pictures are all good. ^v^
I have all the ingredients, and I’m excited to get started, however, all I could find was prefried fish cakes, do I still prepare it as suggested? Or do I just reheat them? Thanks for your help.
Hi Michelle
You can prepare it with the recipe to add more flavor or you can use as is. Usually it tastes better if you add the seasoning to the fish cakes. Have fun making them. They will be delicious!
is it absolutely required to use rice vinegar?
You can use white vinegar instead.
These look like from a professional sushi chef 🙂
Thank you.
I’ve never heard or even tried kimbap, but these rolls sound wonderful (Even though I might not be familiar with some ingredients). I also must admit the rolls look splendid and so neatly done – even layers, tightly rolled up. You don’t often see this quality even at a restaurant, and for some homemade rolls is is simply impeccable work!
I know some of the Korean ingredients are not common in America. Kimbap is becoming popular among many American these days. It take some effort to get them ready to roll, but worth the try. It is a wonderful finger food.
I wasn’t familiar with kimbap before this post, but the process seems very similar to making sushi at home. There was a time (pre-child) that Laura and I used to make sushi at home. We still have the rolling mats and stuff…and you’ve inspired me to pull them back out sometime soon. This sounds like a fun recipe to make together on a weekend evening!
It is indeed fun to make kimbap especially with families. Hope you can try making one. You don’t have to put all the filling ingredients and be creative to make your own style.
These are fun — look great, and I’ll bet they taste great. Agree with Angie that they look like a professional sushi chef made them. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe.