Homemade Kimbap
- Korean Food Addict
- Jul 15, 2025
Homemade Kimbap
Homemade kimbap is Korea's iconic lunch box food filled with love and care. With its colorful fillings beautifully arranged, it's visually appealing and delicious, making it a favorite for people of all ages.
The Appeal of Kimbap
Kimbap is a complete food that's convenient yet highly nutritious. With carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables all included, it makes a perfect meal. Its portability also makes it ideal for picnics, outings, and lunch boxes.
Cooking Tips
The key to making delicious kimbap is the balance between seasoned rice and fillings. Seasoning the rice with sesame oil and salt brings out the authentic kimbap flavor, and seasoning each ingredient separately enhances the overall taste. Also, press firmly while rolling to prevent ingredients from falling apart when eating.
Variations
You can create variations of basic kimbap by adding tuna, cheese, bulgogi, kimchi, and other ingredients. It's great for kids' lunch boxes and excellent as a snack or late-night meal. You can conveniently pack leftover ingredients into kimbap for breakfast the next day, killing two birds with one stone.
Instructions:
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Prepare Rice and Fish Cake
- Mix warm rice with 1 tsp salt, 2-3 tbsp sesame oil, and sesame seeds
- Cut fish cake into bite-sized pieces and grill in a pan
- Mix 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cooking wine, and 1.5 tbsp oligosaccharide syrup, then simmer with fish cake
- Prepare Rice and Fish Cake
- Mix warm rice with 1 tsp salt, 2-3 tbsp sesame oil, and sesame seeds
- Cut fish cake into bite-sized pieces and grill in a pan
- Mix 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cooking wine, and 1.5 tbsp oligosaccharide syrup, then simmer with fish cake
- Prepare Ham and Spinach
- Grill ham until golden brown in a pan
- Blanch spinach in boiling water briefly, then rinse in cold water
- Squeeze out water from spinach and season with soy sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, and salt
- Prepare Carrots and Eggs
- Julienne carrots and stir-fry in 1 tbsp cooking oil (helps vitamin A absorption)
- Make thin egg crepes and julienne them
- Gather all prepared fillings in one place
- Roll the Kimbap
- Place seaweed sheet on rolling mat and spread rice evenly
- Arrange prepared ingredients colorfully on the rice
- Layer pickled radish, imitation crab, ham, fish cake, egg, spinach, and carrots in order
- Roll tightly (press firmly while rolling to prevent fillings from falling out)
- Finish
- Brush the completed kimbap lightly with sesame oil
- Slice into bite-sized pieces
- Serve on a plate immediately or pack in a lunch box for storage
Recipe Notes:
- Cool the rice slightly before using to prevent the seaweed from getting soggy. If it's too hot, the seaweed becomes limp.
- Don't put too much rice and add plenty of fillings for better taste.
- Arrange ingredients colorfully for a beautiful cross-section. Distribute spinach, carrots, and eggs evenly.
- When rolling kimbap, use a rolling mat and press firmly as you roll to prevent fillings from falling out.
- Prepare ingredients the day before to quickly assemble kimbap on the day.
- Wrap completed kimbap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to enjoy until the next day.
- When slicing kimbap, wet the knife between cuts for clean cross-sections.
Ingredients:
Serving size
Main Ingredients
- 5-6 bowls rice
- 7 seaweed sheets
- 7 eggs
- 200 g spinach
- 2 carrots
Additional Ingredients
- 7 strips pickled radish
- 1 package imitation crab
- 7 slices ham
- 3 sheets fish cake
Seasonings
- 1 tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp sesame oil
- to taste sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cooking wine
- 1.5 tbsp oligosaccharide syrup
- 1 tbsp cooking oil