Gimbap (Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls)

Gimbap is a Korean dish consisting of seasoned rice, assorted vegetables and meat rolled up in seaweed. It is commonly referred to as Korean-style sushi, where the roll is cut into smaller bite-sized pieces.

What is gimbap?

Gimbap, (also kimbap) is a Korean seaweed rice roll consisting of seasoned rice, fresh vegetables, and meat rolled up in seaweed or laver.

In Korean, gim refers to "seaweed" and bap refers to "rice."

Seaweed in Korean is also known as laver, and in Japanese, it is known as nori.

Gimbap is sometimes referred to as Korean-style sushi, as the seaweed roll is similarly cut into small pieces.

What's the difference between gimbap and sushi?

Japanese-style sushi contains cooked short-grain rice, fillings, and is also wrapped in seaweed (nori).

The biggest difference comes down to the rice: Japanese sushi rice is seasoned with rice vinegar and sugar, whereas gimbap does not contain rice vinegar.

Rather, gimbap rice is flavored with sesame oil and salt.

What does gimbap taste like?

Gimbap has a fresh, savory, tangy taste with a slight crunch from the vegetables.

Why you'll love this recipe

This Spicy Pork Bulgogi Gimbap is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and easy to make:

Uses up leftovers: great way to clean out the vegetables in the crisper drawer

Healthy: with loads of fresh vegetables, protein, and a little rice, it's got everything in a little bite.

Versatile: you can use any type of filling that you like, ranging from tofu, tuna, to spicy pork bulgogi or beef bulgogi. 

Flavorful: the cooked rice is additionally flavored with sesame oil, salt and a little black pepper to make every bite tasty.

Special equipment you'll need

• bamboo mat: also known as a sushi rolling mat, made of bamboo

Ingredients you'll need

• short-grain rice: also known as sushi rice, which has a stickier texture and is used in Japanese sushi/nigiri; it is different than long grain rice
• sesame oil: toasted, to flavor the rice
• seaweed: unflavored/unsalted and comes packaged in dry, square sheets; also known as laver, gim or nori (Japanese)
• eggs: scrambled and cooked, either tamago-style or in an omelette
• pickled daikon radish: also known as danmuji; typically yellow in color, however there are dye-free options available
• burdock root: also known as gobo in Japanese; is brown in color and has a crisp, slightly chewy, sweet and mild flavor
• cucumber: julienned
• carrots: julienned
• perilla leaves: has a mint and basil-like flavor; also known as sesame leaf, or you can use Japanese shiso, which is slightly smaller and tastes more minty; if you can't find perilla leaves, you can use lettuce or any leafy green instead
• spicy pork bulgogi: or substitute with any other protein, such as beef bulgogi, tuna, or tofu

Note: the vegetables can be julienned with a sharp knife or cut into long strips with a julienne peeler.

How to make gimbap

Make the rice:

Add washed rice to rice cooker.

Cover with enough water.

Cook the rice.

Once rice is cooked and still warm, drizzle in sesame oil, salt and black pepper.

Fluff the rice and divide into 10 equal portions. Set aside.

Cook the egg:

Beat eggs, sugar and water together in a bowl.

Pour into a small baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350F for 15-17 minutes, until set.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Cut egg into long strips. Set aside.

Assemble:

Place gimbap/sushi rolling mat on a work surface.

Add 1 full sized sheet of seaweed, shiny side down on the mat (Step 1 below).

Thinly spread 1 portion of cooked rice over the surface of the seaweed, leaving about a 1" border on the top edge. (Step 2 below).

Place a half sheet of seaweed over the rice, offset by 1" from the bottom of the rice (Step 3 below).

Add perilla leaves, and in fillings: 1 radish, 2 burdock, 1 strip of egg, carrot, cucumber, and spicy pork (Step 4 below).

Do not overfill.

Firmly wrap and roll the seaweed (Step 5 below). When wrapping, ensure the rice on the bottom of the seaweed can touch the rice on the top.

Use the bamboo mat to shape, using a little firm pressure. If the rice doesn't touch, that means it was overfilled.

If the seaweed does not close fully, moisten your finger with a little water on the edge and seal it.

Lightly brush the surface of the seaweed roll with sesame oil (Step 6 below).

Use a sharp knife to cut ⅓ inch pieces, about 10 pieces in total per roll.

Place onto a serving plate.

Garnish with sesame seeds if you desire.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Other additions & substitutions

You can add any ingredients you like such as:

• Spam/ham
• bulgogi beef
• lettuce: washed and patted dry
• spinach: be sure to squeeze out any excess water before using it as a filling
• imitation crab sticks
• fish cakes
• fried tofu

You can also add additional (crushed) sesame seeds to the rice if you desire. 

How to serve

Serve gimbap freshly made at room temperature, or with a gochujang mayo dipping sauce if you like.

You can enjoy Korean gimbap as a light snack, appetizer, or meal.

What to pair gimbap with

Pair gimbap with carbonara tteokbokki, classic Korean tteokbokki, ramyeon noodles, jjajangmyeon, Korean-style hot dogs, or fried chicken.

Try it with a Matcha Yuzu Gin Fizz or soju (Korean distilled spirit made from rice).

How to store

Gimbap is best enjoyed freshly made on the same day it is made.

It's preferable to only slice as many pieces as you will consume.

If you have leftover pieces, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day.

Wrap the gimbap roll tightly in plastic wrap and place into the fridge.

Don't store for too long in the fridge as the rice may harden, in addition to the vegetables weeping and losing their freshness.

Gimbap is not suitable for freezing -- the rice and vegetables will change to an unpleasant texture.

Expert tips & FAQs

Don't overfill:

Don't be tempted to overfill the rolls with filling.

Overfilling can cause the seaweed to burst and break.

Take out some of the filling and try again; if the seaweed cracked, you may have to forego rolling -- it will still taste good though.

Rolling and sealing:

Ensure the rice on the bottom of the seaweed can touch the rice on the top.

If the rice doesn't touch, that means it was overfilled.

If the seaweed does not close fully, moisten your finger with a little water on the edge and seal it.

Do I need to add a second piece of seaweed?

You can add it, which keeps the rice neatly in place, or omit and it will be more sushi-like.

I don't have a rice cooker.

You can cook the rice in a pot, using a ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part rice.

Add washed rice and water to the pot.

Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.

Cover with a lid and continue cooking on low heat, for about 15-17 minutes, until rice has absorbed all the water.

Turn off the heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before opening the lid and fluffing up the rice.

Other Korean recipes you may like

Be sure to check out these recipes:

Spicy Pork Bulgogi (Jeyuk Bokkeum)

Korean Bibimbap (Mixed Rice Bowl)

Korean Beef Bulgogi

Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes in Gochujang Sauce)

Shortcut Homemade Gochujang (Korean Chili Pepper Paste)

Korean-Style Hot Dogs

Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!