Kimbap from South Korea

When I lived in Korea and later in China, my Korean students would often bring me plastic containers filled with kimbap.  Although kimbap resembles sushi in some respects, it is not the same.  The rice isn't vinegary like Japanese sushi.  Kimbap is perfect for school lunches and picnics.  While it might sound complicated to make, it is surprisingly easy.  The important thing is to have everything prepared and ready to go when you need it.  If you can get sushi rice that is great, but I have made this many times with whatever rice I can get.  While the pickled radish is essential in the traditional kimbap, I have not always been able to get it and have done without it. Once you get the rolling perfected, you can make a batch of kimbap pretty quickly.

4 sheets dried seaweed
4 cups cooked rice
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons salt
soy sauce for dipping
fillings
1 carrot cut into thin julienne sticks
1 cucumber (Slice off the outer skin, that's the part you use) cut into thin julienne sticks
a few spinach or kale leaves
1 garlic clove finely chopped
2 eggs
cooked ham or tuna or bulgogi beef strips
1 pickled radish cut into julienne strips

When rice has cooked and cooled add the salt and sesame oil.  Prepare your vegetables.  You need to do everything beforehand so you are ready to go when it is time to rock and roll.  Blanch the carrots sticks, cucumber sticks and spinach leaves.  Cover the blanched spinach leaves with some finely chopped garlic and sprinkle a little sesame oil on it.  Put that aside and beat the eggs in a bowl.  Put a little oil in a small frying pan and throw in the beaten eggs.  Cook, then turn over.  It should resemble a pancake.  Cut the cooked egg into strips.  If using ham make sure that you cube it into small pieces.

Now is the time to assemble your kimpap.
Using a bamboo sushi roller, lay the dried seaweed shiny side down.  If you don't have the sushi roller mat then you can use tinfoil.
Spread about 1/2 cup of rice onto the seaweed leaving the top 1/3 bare.  Lay carrot sticks in a line across the bottom of the rice about 3cm in.  Lay the other fillings next to it and on top, following the same line.  Roll from the bottom, pressing down firmly to make sure the fillings stay in and don't fall out.  As you roll you pull the edge of the mat away from you.  Keep rolling until you have a firm roll.  You can dampen the top seam with a little water to help

hold your roll together.
Leave it for about ten minutes while you continue with the other seaweed sheets repeating the same process.
To cut into slices, I always cut the middle first and then work my way to the ends.  Make sure you have a very sharp knife for the slicing.  You'll get about 8 slices out of a roll.
Either eat straight away or pack into plastic containers and keep in the fridge until you are ready to indulge.  You can have a small bowl of soy sauce for dipping, but most Koreans don't bother.  Eat with your fingers, chopsticks are not needed.
Cindy Vine is a South African by birth but has lived and worked in 11 different countries.  She currently works in Kyiv Ukraine.  She is the author of The Colorful Art of Pain, Hush Baby and Defective.  All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format.  http://cindyvine.com