Kimbap

Rice and fillings

• short-grain rice450 g
• sesame oil3 tbsp
• sesame seeds2 tbsp
• nori sheets6
• eggs4
• carrots2
• spinach250 g
• yellow pickled radish6 strips
• cucumbers1
• ham6 slices
• water550 ml

Seasoning

• soy sauce1 tbsp
• garlic cloves1
• vegetable oil2 tbsp
• salt

Preparation

1. 01

   Rinse the short-grain rice several times until it runs clear, then put it in a pan with the 550 ml water, bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Leave it covered off the heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden.

2. 02

   Season the warm rice with 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil, the toasted sesame seeds and a good pinch of salt. Korean rice for kimbap is never vinegared — that is sushi.

3. 03

   Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, cook them as a flat omelette in a little of the vegetable oil and cut into long strips.

4. 04

   Cut the carrots into matchsticks, the cucumber into long strips and the ham into strips. Stir-fry the carrot matchsticks in the rest of the vegetable oil for 2 minutes with a pinch of salt.

5. 05

   Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds, squeeze it dry and dress with the soy sauce, the garlic, crushed, and a little of the sesame oil.

Rolling

6. 06

   Lay a nori sheet shiny side down on a bamboo mat and spread rice over about three quarters of it in a thin, even layer.

7. 07

   Lay a sixth of the omelette, carrot and spinach, a strip of yellow pickled radish, a sixth of the cucumber strips and a sixth of the ham strips in lines across the rice, a third of the way up.

8. 08

   Roll away from you, pulling the mat tight as you go so the roll is dense. Loose kimbap falls apart when cut. Repeat with the remaining nori sheets, rice and fillings to make 6 rolls.

9. 09

   Brush the outside with the remaining sesame oil and leave for 1 minute to settle.

10. 10

    Slice with a very sharp wet knife, wiping it between cuts.