Gimbap is the ultimate Korean picnic/street food, and can be made in a variety of ways. This recipe is a very authentic, classic gimbap. Whenever I think of gimbap, this is how I expect it to taste!

I’m not really sure why, but gimbap is another one of those dishes that I am very picky about. I’ve had gimbap from so many different restaurants, grocery stores, and street vendors, and somehow a lot of them manage to screw it up.

These days, a lot of the popular gimbap rolls have bulgogi in them, or even cheese. The classic gimbap that I grew up with was made with fish cakes or crab sticks.

What is Gimbap?

In Korean, “gim” means seaweed and “bap” means rice. It is a seaweed roll with prepared veggies and some type of protein in the middle. Some people call it the Korean version of sushi rolls, but history shows that gimbap was already a Korean staple before the Japanese invasion.

Gimbap is a very common food for picnics, school lunches, or street vendors. The most common type of food cart you will see in Korea usually has tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), mandu (dumplings), odeng (fish cakes) and gimbap all together. It is not uncommon for people to stop by one of these carts and order one of everything. I dip my gimbap and mandu into the tteokbokki sauce and wash everything down with a hot cup of the odeng broth. It’s sooooo good!

One great thing about gimbap is that is can be completely customized to your liking. Although I love a classic gimbap, some of my other favorite versions are ones with perilla leaves or kimchi inside. I also really love tuna gimbap!

Ingredients

• Fresh rice- always use freshly made short grain rice for gimbap. Just make sure the rice is not still hot when you start to build the rolls.
• CRUSHED sesame seeds- toasted sesame seeds are traditionally added to the rice in gimbap. I like to grind them up a bit before adding to the rice- it releases more of the delicious nutty flavor that sesame seeds have and I think it really elevates the rice.
• Nori sheets- unseasoned & roasted seaweed sheets can be found at any supermarket these days. If you can’t find a Korean brand, anything labeled as “nori” will also work.
• Sea salt- you can use kosher salt if you don’t have sea salt, but I highly recommend getting some sea salt. It does make a difference especially in gimbap.
• Sesame oil- this is an essential ingredient for gimbap- do not leave it out! Sesame oil is so important for seasoning gimbap and will give it the classic taste that it is known for. It will be used to season the rice, spinach, and brushing onto the rolls before cutting.
• Spam- for this gimbap recipe, I am using spam as the source of protein. You can use fish cakes, canned tuna, crab sticks, bulgogi, or anything else you want.
• Veggies- I’m using all the traditional veggies for gimbap- spinach, carrots, yellow pickled radish, and seasoned burdock root. Of all these, I think the most important ingredient is yellow pickled radish. Gimbap simply would not taste like gimbap without it.
• Eggs- a classic gimbap roll will always have eggs!

Protein options

If you want to use this recipe but don’t like fish cakes or want to try something different, there are plenty of other options you can choose from. Gimbap has endless possibilities and can be customized in any way you like! Here are some of the most common options:

• Fish cake- this is the most classic version of gimbap, though probably not the most popular anymore. You can use ANY kind of fish cakes in any shape. Just cut them into an appropriate size/shape to fill the rolls. See the photo above for the brand I use.
• Spam- my mom made gimbap using spam a lot when I was a kid. It’s easy, cheap, and has a ton of flavor.
• Bulgogi- probably one of the more popular choices today. It’s good, but probably my least favorite.
• Canned tuna- I really love tuna gimbap. Especially with the addition of mayo and celery. Korean canned tuna is also available in different flavors. I love the hot pepper flavor tuna in gimbap!
• Crab sticks- this is another protein for the classic version of gimbap. I prefer fish cakes but this is still good too. And super easy since you don’t need to cook it.

Where to purchase tools/ingredients

To make gimbap, you will need a bamboo rolling mat. You should be able to find this at any Asian supermarket, Daiso, and some American markets. If you’re having trouble finding one or don’t want to bother looking, you can buy one from Amazon here for only $4.

Of all the ingredients, I think the most difficult ones to find for some will be the fish cakes, pickled yellow radish, and seasoned burdock root. Unfortunately these are all perishable ingredients and not easily found online, but I’ve provided photos for your reference. You should be able to find these ingredients at any Korean supermarket.

The pickled yellow radish and seasoned burdock root are usually sold together specifically for making gimbap. I buy this one pictured below.

Shelf life/reheating

I have already received a ton of questions about storing gimbap and/or reheating it. I’m going to be very honest about this- just finish it the same day you make it. Gimbap does not store well for a long time, and it doesn’t taste good reheated in my opinion.

If you aren’t going to be eating the gimbap right away, store it in an airtight container or wrap in plastic or aluminum foil and do not cut it until you’re ready to serve. This helps to keep the rice from drying out. Do not store in the refrigerator, or the rice will get hard.

If you don’t finish it in the same day and must refrigerate it, you’re only option now is to reheat the gimbap (which I don’t recommend).

To reheat, you have a couple options:

1. Reheat on a pan with a little oil until the rice on both sides gets a little crispy.

2. Whisk some eggs and dip the gimbap in it, then fry in a little oil. This is basically gimbap jeon.

These are decent options when you have too much gimbap and don’t want to waste it. But I don’t ever recommend reheating gimbap since it doesn’t taste the same.

More Korean street food recipes

If you’re making gimbap, make it a full Korean street cart experience by adding some of these recipes to your spread!

Gimbap is commonly sold together with mandu (dumplings), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and/or odeng (fish cake soup).

I usually dip my gimbap and mandu into the tteokbokki sauce and wash everything down with a hot cup of the odeng broth!