recipe: mayak kimbap, a.k.a. korean “narcotic” seaweed rolls
These are easy to prepare and even easier to eat! You might find yourself eating them as you roll them, though. They make a perfect lunch or picnic finger food. Plus, they’re vegetarian!
Cook as much rice as you need (you can use excess rice for other meals, too), but you will only need about a cup to two cups of rice for this recipe.
Start off with one bundle of spinach with long stems. Don’t use the tiny leafy spinach, that’s not going to work in this recipe. Wash the spinach thoroughly- there is usually a lot of dirt stuck in the stems. Boil a big pot of water and blanch the spinach for up to a minute. Make sure the thickest part of the stems are cooked until they are flexible, but do not overcook. Then take them out and dump them in cold water. Drain, and squeeze out the water until the spinach becomes a tight ball. Put this ball into a clean bowl. Run a knife through the spinach two or three times. Next, add your seasoning! You can use freshly minced garlic (1 clove) or use garlic powder (to taste) like I do. After that, pour in up to a tablespoon of sesame oil. As you mix the spinach, your kitchen will be filled with an amazing fragrance!
*Note: you can replace the spinach with cucumber. Cucumber can be kept fresh for longer than the seasoned spinach, which will go bad quickly.
Next, julienne some carrots into thin matchsticks. I like to buy thicker carrots so that they are easier to chop up. Fry them on medium-high heat with plenty of oil- they absorb a lot of oil as they are frying, and you don’t want to end up with dry carrots. Cook them until they become soft and flexible, then set them aside on a plate. You can drizzle in some sesame oil at the end if you want extra flavor.
The final ingredient is the easiest. Buy some danmuji/takuan (yellow pickled radish) from your local Asian grocery store. You can buy the precut version or you can cut them into strips yourself. Take the strips and further cut them in half, both lengthwise and through the center.
Take your gim/nori sheets and cut them into four equal sized squares using scissors. Scoop out your freshly cooked rice into a bowl, and mix it with a teaspoon or two of sesame oil.
Spread a thin layer of rice onto the gim with your rice scoop. Then, put on some spinach, carrot, and one piece of danmuji on the rice. Do not overfill because it will be impossible to roll. When you roll, make sure the end of the gim is sealed tightly.
Repeat until all the ingredients are gone. It is okay if there are still some ingredients left over, you can enjoy them as side dishes with rice later.