Kimbap (Gimbap)

main dish Asian cuisine dinner
Total: 3 hr 30 min. | Active: 1 hr
lactose-free

I owe my first encounter with kimbap to a Korean friend – and this speciality has had a hold on me ever since. A complete meal in a roll – this is kimbap (also spelt gimbap). Originally from Korea, this delicious dish combines rice, vegetables, egg and often a bit of meat, all rolled up in a sheet of nori (gim). At first glance, it might look a little like sushi, however kimbap is an entirely separate, savoury dish with its own unmistakable flavour and character. Whether you enjoy it as a snack on the go, a balanced lunch or a lovingly prepared addition to a picnic, kimbap is versatile, nutritious and an integral part of Korean food culture. And once you've tried it, you'll quickly understand why.

Recipe by:
Daniela Bieder – daniela CULINAIRE

Ingredients

for 4 person

Pickled radish
250 g radishes, cut into sticks
1 ½ dl water
1 ½ dl apple vinegar
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
To marinate the meat
200 g beef rump, cut into thin slices
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1  garlic clove, squeezed
Sushi rice
250 g sushi rice
3 ¾ dl water
¾ tsp salt
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Omelette
2  fresh eggs
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
To fry the meat
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Carrots and spinach
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
250 g baby spinach
1  garlic clove, squeezed
2 pinch salt
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2  carrots, cut into sticks
2 pinch salt
To shape the kimbap
4  nori sheets
Dip
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water
½ tbsp rice vinegar
½ tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

How it's done

Pickled radish

Place the radish in a clean, warm preserving jar. Bring the water to the boil along with all the other ingredients up to and including the salt, pour the boiling hot liquid into the jar until it covers the radish, immediately seal the jar and leave to cool on a towel. Leave to pickle for at least 2 hrs. or overnight.

To marinate the meat

Place the meat in a bowl along with the soy sauce, garlic and sugar, mix, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

Sushi rice

Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear, drain well. Place the rice in a pan along with the water and salt, leave to absorb for approx. 15 mins. Bring the rice to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer over a low heat for approx. 10 mins. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to fluff up in the covered pan for approx. 10 mins. (do not remove the lid). Separate the rice with a fork, mix in the sesame seeds and oil, leave to cool.

Omelette

Beat the eggs, season with salt. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Pour in the egg mixture, allow to solidify over a medium heat for approx. 3 mins. until the mixture is firm at the edges. Gently loosen the edges of the omelette from the pan using a spatula. Turn the omelette and cook until firm. Remove the omelette, leave to cool, cut into strips approx. 1 cm wide.

To fry the meat

Heat the oil in the same pan. Fry the meat for approx. 2 mins., stirring occasionally, then remove from the pan.

Carrots and spinach

Heat the oil in the same frying pan. Add the spinach and garlic, season with salt, cook until the liquid has evaporated. Remove the spinach. Add the oil and carrots to the same frying pan, season with salt, cook for approx. 3 mins., stirring occasionally, remove.

To shape the kimbap

Place each nori sheet on a bamboo mat or piece of cling film. Spread ¼ of the rice onto each sheet, leaving a gap of approx. 2 cm at the top. Place ¼ each of the meat, omelette strips, carrots, spinach and pickled radish lengthwise in the centre of the rice. Roll up the filled nori sheets tightly, roll until everything holds together. Cut the rolls into 8 equal pieces using a knife.

Dip

Combine the soy sauce with all the other ingredients up to and including the sugar. Crush the sesame seeds using a mortar and pestle, then mix in. Serve the dip with the kimbap.

Show complete recipe