Gimbap

Ingredients

Rice

• 400 g short-grain rice
• 480 ml water (1.2:1 ratio)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional, mixed in)

Fillings (per 4 rolls - adjust to taste)

• 4 eggs (large)
• 1 carrot (medium, julienne 3 mm × 3 mm × 15 cm)
• 200 g spinach (or pre-trimmed baby spinach)
• 4 strips pickled yellow radish (danmuji), 15 cm long
• 4 strips ham (or 200 g beef bulgogi cooked, or 1 tin tuna mixed with mayo)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 ½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil (for fillings)
• salt
• pepper

Wrapping

• 4 sheets gim (roasted seaweed for gimbap - bigger than nori)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil (for brushing)
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (for sprinkling)

Equipment

• 1 bamboo sushi mat (makisu) - strongly recommended

Method

Stage 1 - Rice

1. Rinse the rice in 3 changes of water until the runoff is clear.
2. Cook in a rice cooker (or 480 ml water, lid on, low heat, 18 minutes, 10 min rest).
3. While still warm, transfer to a wide bowl; drizzle with sesame oil and salt; fluff with a fork.
4. Cool to lukewarm (cold rice is too firm to spread; hot rice steams the seaweed).

Stage 2 - Fillings

1. Carrot: stir-fry the julienned carrot in a teaspoon of sesame oil with a pinch of salt for 2 minutes. Spread on a plate to cool.
2. Spinach: boil a pot of water; blanch spinach 30 seconds; drain; rinse cold; squeeze hard. Toss with 1 minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and a pinch of salt.
3. Egg: beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low; add a teaspoon of oil. Pour in the eggs; cook 2 minutes as a thin sheet; flip; cook 30 seconds; slide onto a board; cool; cut into long strips 1 cm wide.
4. Protein: if using ham, cut into 4 long strips. If using bulgogi, cook 200 g sliced beef in a hot pan with soy + sugar + garlic + sesame oil; cool; cut into strips. If using tuna, drain a 150 g tin; mix with 2 tablespoons mayo + a pinch of salt.

Stage 3 - Assemble

1. Place a bamboo mat on the work surface; lay a sheet of gim shiny-side-down.
2. With wet hands or a wet rice paddle, spread a quarter of the cooked rice evenly across the bottom two-thirds of the sheet (leave the top third bare).
3. Press gently so the rice sticks but stays loose.
4. Lay strips of each filling horizontally across the rice, near the bottom edge: pickled radish, carrot, spinach, egg, protein.

Stage 4 - Roll

1. Lift the bottom of the bamboo mat over the fillings; tuck the fillings tightly under the rice.
2. Roll forward, pressing firmly through the mat to compact the roll.
3. Once the bare seaweed edge is reached, dampen it lightly with water and press to seal.
4. Squeeze gently through the mat to firm the cylinder.
5. Unroll the mat; the gimbap is done.

Stage 5 - Finish

1. Brush the outside of each roll with a thin coat of sesame oil.
2. Sprinkle a few sesame seeds.
3. With a very sharp wet knife (wipe between cuts), slice each roll into 10-12 rounds about 1 ½ cm thick.

Stage 6 - Serve

1. Arrange the slices on a plate, cut-side up to show the cross-section.
2. Serve cool or room temperature.
3. Pair with a small dish of kimchi.