Kimbap (Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls)

Ingredients

• 250 g sushi rice
• 3 dl water
• 4 roasted seaweed sheets
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 egg
• 100 g spinach
• 1 carrot, cut into fine matchsticks
• ½ cucumber, cut into long batons
• 150 g daikon radish, cut into long batons
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. 1.

   Cook the rice — Rinse the rice in several changes of water until it runs almost clear, drain well and tip it into a small pan with the measured water. Bring to a boil, cover, cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes, then leave it off the heat, lid on, for 10 minutes.

2. 2.

   Pickle the daikon — Toss the daikon batons with the rice vinegar, sugar and a pinch of the salt and leave to pickle for 20 minutes, turning them once. Drain them thoroughly and pat dry — wet strips will make the roll fall apart.

3. 3.

   Prep the fillings — Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and cook them as one thin flat omelette in a lightly oiled pan over low heat, 2 minutes a side, then roll it up and slice into long 1 cm strips. Stir-fry the carrot in the same pan with the rest of the oil and a little salt for 2 minutes. Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds, refresh under cold water, squeeze it bone dry and season with the garlic, soy sauce and 1 tsp of the sesame oil.

4. 4.

   Season and cool the rice — Fork 1 tbsp of the sesame oil, the remaining salt and half the sesame seeds through the hot rice, then spread it out on a tray and let it cool for 10 minutes to just warm — hot rice steams the seaweed limp.

5. 5.

   Roll the kimbap tight — Lay a seaweed sheet shiny side down on a bamboo mat and spread rice over the bottom two thirds in a thin, even layer, leaving 3 cm bare at the top. Line the egg, spinach, carrot, cucumber and pickled daikon up in a tight band a third of the way in, then roll away from you, pulling the mat back at each turn to keep it firm, and seal the bare edge with a few grains of rice.

6. 6.

   Slice into rounds — Brush the finished rolls with the last of the sesame oil, scatter over the remaining sesame seeds and cut into 1.5 cm rounds with a wet knife, wiping the blade between cuts. Pack them cut side up so the fillings show.