Kimbap
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 rolls (2 servings)
- 1½packed cups raw spinach (about 3 ounces)
- 1½teaspoons sesame oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Neutral oil, for sautéeing
- ½medium or large carrot, peeled and julienned
- 1thin sheet of eomuk (fish cake), cut into ¼-inch-thick strips
- 3ounces canned Spam, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick strips
- 2eggs, beaten
- 4strips of danmuji (pickled yellow radish), see Tip
- 4gim (nori) sheets
- 3cups freshly cooked short-grain rice
- 1tablespoon sesame oil, plus more for brushing
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
For the Filling
For the Rolls
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
1372 calories; 29 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 238 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 1130 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Prepare the spinach: Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the spinach until it turns bright green, about 45 seconds. Transfer the spinach to an ice bath, or transfer it to a colander set in the sink and run the spinach under cold water. Squeeze it to remove excess water and place it in a bowl. Season with 1½ teaspoons sesame oil and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Mix well and set aside.
- Step 2
Prepare the remaining ingredients for the kimbap filling: In a large, well-oiled skillet, working in separate batches, sauté the carrots, eomuk and Spam over high, seasoning the carrots and eomuk with salt and pepper to taste (the Spam does not need extra salt), until just tender and lightly golden. Set aside.
- Step 3
In an oiled nonstick skillet, cook the beaten eggs with a pinch of salt. Swirl the pan to cover the entire surface area and as soon as the bottom is set, about 2 minutes, use a rubber spatula to carefully flip the egg like a pancake, doing your best to keep it in one piece. Cook just until the egg is no longer runny and has just set, another 30 seconds. Slide the cooked eggs onto a cutting board and let cool. Once cooled, cut into long, ¼-inch-thick strips and set aside.
- Step 4
Prepare the rice: Place the warm, freshly cooked rice into a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Mix well with a large spoon.
- Step 5
Assemble the kimbap: Lay 1 sheet of gim on a bamboo mat. (If you don’t have a bamboo mat available, you can lay a clean tea towel on a flat surface and top it with plastic wrap.) Spread about ½ to ¾ cup of rice across two-thirds of the seaweed sheet in an even layer, leaving the top third of the seaweed empty. (You might want to have a small bowl of water handy, so you can wet your fingers to prevent the rice from sticking to them.) Spread the prepared ingredients horizontally in rows, starting from the side closest to you.
- Step 6
Roll the kimbap: Using both hands and the help of the bamboo mat, starting from the side closest to you, lift up the bottom of the seaweed and fold it up to cover the filling, tucking in the filling with your fingers. Use the bamboo mat to apply even and firm pressure, pressing to ensure the filling stays in place. Continue rolling until you reach the end of the rice.
- Step 7
To close the kimbap roll, using your fingertips, spread a small amount of water at the edge of the empty seaweed and roll to seal. If the kimbap doesn’t close, spread a little rice to use the rice as an adhesive. Repeat with the remaining seaweed and ingredients. Each time you roll, reposition the kimbap at the bottom of the bamboo mat.
- Step 8
To serve, lightly brush the rolls with sesame oil. (This will keep your kimbap moist and shiny.) Using a sharp knife and applying even pressure, cut the kimbap into ½-inch pieces. Serve and enjoy! (If preparing in advance, prepare the fillings except the rice and store in the refrigerator. When you're ready to eat, make the rice and assemble your kimbap. Avoid assembling your kimbap too far in advance as refrigerating your kimbap will cause the rice to harden.)
Tips
- You can purchase danmuji that is pre-cut for kimbap, but it’s most commonly sold whole in long logs. If purchasing a large piece of danmuji, simply cut it into ¼-inch-thick strips for use here.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
inshik
Growing up 1st generation Korean in America, mom would use what ever she found at the grocery store, but kimbap was always staple food for family picnics with other immigrant Korean families at the city parks or beach trips- tightly stacked in containers and eaten away in layers as the day progressed. Much better snack food than cookies. Her Americanized versions also could include hot dogs sliced long and thinly sliced pickles.
Chloe
Please add braised burdock root if you can find it! Dried burdock root can be purchased at a Korean grocery store and sometimes they also have pre-prepared burdock root. As an alternative to spam (I mean, you can also use thick-cut ham, sauteed a bit), try tuna. Mix canned tuna with mayo or kewpie mayo. Add other seasonings, salt, if desired. Place a line of perilla leaves (or shiso) on top of your rice; on top make a line of dressed tuna. Try to roll up the leaves as finish the roll.
Nanette
Growing up I ate both norisushi and kimbap depending on what Asian store my mother could find for ingredients to remind her of Japan. The major difference between the two is the seasoning of the rice — toasted sesame oil for kimbap, vinegar for norisushi.
Caroline A
Some other popular options for kimbap fillings: Seasoned, sauteed burdock roots Imitation crab meat Tuna mixed with mayo layered on perilla leaf Ground beef cooked in soy sauce Stir fried kimchi And the list goes on!
Sarah
So delicious and colorful! I skipped the spam and added avocado; I’m going to add some chopped kimchi next time, I think. Or maybe a breakfast kimbap with sausage, spinach, egg, and cheese? Endlessly adaptable!
RoLo
Kimbap is relatively new to me, but I love it. The first time I made these, the seaweed wrappers got really soggy and the rolls fell apart. I researched and saw advice to cook the rice with a little less liquid than usual (i used 1.75 cups water for 2 cups of rice in my IP); I also made sure to blot all the more wet ingredients like the pickle - after these changes, they came out perfectly.
John M.
Yes! We are friends with the owners of a Korean restaurant, and one day we had a kimbap party. We used many of the ingredients you mentioned, plus chipped beef seared in bulgogi sauce and a cream cheese block cut into thin lines. That surprised me, and they said they experimented with what they could find here and they liked it (and we did, too).
Sue
An easy option is to seal the leftovers in a zippered plastic bag, squeezing out the air so that the small amount of liquid surrounds the pickle. Less than ideal, what with the plastic bag and all, but easy.
LCV in VT
I love this story and can just picture your family picnics. It's always interesting to see how foods move from one place and get adapted to what's available in the next. Thank you for sharing.
Edwin
This is a good base recipe. As the other poster suggested, don’t wet your fingers, you’ll only add water. Fluff the rice with a fork to let steam out. Cucumbers add a nice fresh crispness. For the eggs, salt before you cook and add a drop (1/8th of tsp maybe) of Sesame oil. Cook half at a time- you want it nice and thin. Common ingredient, that I personally dislike, is gosari (fernbrake). Essentially, you are making bibimbap rolled with seaweed. Also, add some soy sauce to the spinach!
jiajia
Instead of spam I used very thinly sliced beef and marinated it in korean bbq sauce (add just enough to coat it all) for 10-15 minutes, and cooked it on a stove until golden/brown marks form, and it was delicious! Highly recommend this recipe. I was also able to make 5 rolls in total, so I would say it can definitely feed 3 people.
Kyu
It's the perfect bite, especially when paired with some hot (and preferably spicy!) soup.
EC
Mom's kimbap is what you took on school trips. If one of us had a school trip, everyone got kimbap for lunch that day, yippy! Everything is better wrapped around kim and bap. Just chopped kimchi and eggs cooked omlette style make a simple and satifying kimbap.
jj
Love the recipe! Kimbap brings up many fond memories of picnics: a picnic was not a picnic without kimbap, growing up in Korea. I suggest not using wet fingers to finish them - it will make them soggy. Rolls will come together naturally by putting the seamed side down on the cutting board while rolling the rest of them.
Kate A
Really delicious, have already made it twice in the last week — love love love the spam and pickled radish together, especially. A personal preference: the second time around I made these with less oil in the rice and spinach, and didn’t cook the carrots. Recipe feels super flexible in that way, and I can’t wait to pack these for picnics!
Pheasant Tail
Not something I would have come across, let alone try, if it weren't for NYT Cooking. Accidentally splurged for Dungeness Crab cake ($$$) in lieu of fish cake, somehow forgot the spinach and carrot, and decided to leave out the Spam. Even with those mistakes it tuned out well for this first timer and was quite satisfying wrt to taste and texture. The Dungeness Crab really shone. Will definitely make again (minus the mistakes). So many possibilities.
gerry
has anyone made this with cauliflower rice instead of rice grains?
Brie G.
I have not tried with a riced veggie but I have made rolls with quinoa with delicious results. Still carbs but better for you carbs with added fiber and protein.
Monica K
Excellent article and recipe, thank you. It tastes delicious.
RoLo
Kimbap is relatively new to me, but I love it. The first time I made these, the seaweed wrappers got really soggy and the rolls fell apart. I researched and saw advice to cook the rice with a little less liquid than usual (i used 1.75 cups water for 2 cups of rice in my IP); I also made sure to blot all the more wet ingredients like the pickle - after these changes, they came out perfectly.
RoLo
I was able to find the danmuji + burdock root sold together in one pack at a local Korean grocery - however, I didn't end up using all of either ingredient. Can anyone tell me how to keep them? There's not as much pickling liquid as there is in, say, a jar of pickles (where I can see that the pickles are covered in liquid and thus, "safe" for future eating) - how do I save these pickled ingredients for future use?
Sue
An easy option is to seal the leftovers in a zippered plastic bag, squeezing out the air so that the small amount of liquid surrounds the pickle. Less than ideal, what with the plastic bag and all, but easy.
Karen
Dunno if this is just a private fetish or applies to other ex military brats, but the combo of fish cake and Fried spam strips is ambrosial
Sarah
So delicious and colorful! I skipped the spam and added avocado; I’m going to add some chopped kimchi next time, I think. Or maybe a breakfast kimbap with sausage, spinach, egg, and cheese? Endlessly adaptable!
Phil
It would be useful to know how many cups of uncooked rice this recipe calls for. My guess is 1.5?
inshik
Growing up 1st generation Korean in America, mom would use what ever she found at the grocery store, but kimbap was always staple food for family picnics with other immigrant Korean families at the city parks or beach trips- tightly stacked in containers and eaten away in layers as the day progressed. Much better snack food than cookies. Her Americanized versions also could include hot dogs sliced long and thinly sliced pickles.
LCV in VT
I love this story and can just picture your family picnics. It's always interesting to see how foods move from one place and get adapted to what's available in the next. Thank you for sharing.
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