Summer is already in sight the weather is getting warmer. The perfect time for a little picnic or a trip to one of many and what must not be missing in the backpack? A kimbap. Koreans love this snack. It is available almost everywhere. Usually, the whole roll is cut into bite-sized pieces and wrapped in aluminum foil. It is suitable for travelling, for the office or even for a picnic. Gim-bap is also becoming more and more of a trend in European cities.
Gim-bap, or kimbap, is a Korean rice roll. The name gim-bap is made up of the words gim (purple kelp, which is dried seaweed leaves) and bap (Korean, cooked rice). There are no limits to the preparation for creative cooks. The preparation is relatively simple, but initially requires some practice.
In addition to rice (which is refined with sesame oil and sesame seeds) and gim, gim-bap can be supplemented with ham, Korean radish, lotus roots, spinach, egg, meat or fish (no raw fish) and many other ingredients. If meat is used as an ingredient, it is usually beef. This is the Korean bulgogi, which is marinated in soy sauce before being fried. If fish is on the menu, it is usually canned tuna with mayonnaise.
Apart from the more common variations such as vegetable gim-bap, tuna gim-bap, kimchi gim-bap, etc., the best-known and most popular variation is the classic gim-bap. It consists of steamed carrots cut into small strips, lightly fried omelets, pickled radish, spinach tossed with sesame oil and kimchi.
Two important features why gim-bap should not be compared to sushi: First, traditional sushi is usually made with raw fish such as salmon, tuna and seafood. Secondly, sushi never have more than 2 ingredients (besides rice and seaweed leaves). However, for the gim-bap, we always use at least 5 ingredients for the filling.
Have I made you hungry? Maybe a Kimbap restaurant will open soon in your neighborhood…
