Colorful Vegetable and Fish Cake Gimbap
How to Make Delicious Gimbap: Basic Vegetable and Fish Cake Gimbap with Homemade Pickled Radish
I’ve been on a gimbap-making spree lately, using seasonal vegetables! While I used to make spinach gimbap for its sweet flavor in winter or early spring, as the weather gets warmer, I prefer to use crisp and refreshing cucumber or chives instead of spinach, which can sour easily. Today, I’m sharing a gimbap made with lightly pickled cucumbers and stir-fried carrots. It’s perfect for those sudden gimbap cravings when you can whip it up with ingredients you already have in your fridge. I used a generous amount of homemade pickled radish I made earlier, rolling it up using the basic gimbap technique. Having a large batch of pickled radish means I often make it as a side dish or use it in gimbap. So, shall we start making this gimbap, flavored with homemade pickled radish and stir-fried fish cakes?
Gimbap Ingredients- 6 sheets Gimbap seaweed
- 2 bowls rice (cooked with germinated brown rice and barley)
- 4 square fish cakes
- 1 carrot
- 4 pieces pickled radish (homemade)
- A little sesame oil
- A little sesame seeds
Rice Seasoning- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 0.1 tsp salt
Cucumber Pickling- 0.3 Tbsp coarse salt (for washing cucumber)
- 0.3 Tbsp fine salt (for pickling)
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
Stir-frying Carrots- 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil (or cooking oil)
- 0.3 tsp salt
Stir-frying Fish Cakes- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 0.1 tsp salt
Cucumber Pickling- 0.3 Tbsp coarse salt (for washing cucumber)
- 0.3 Tbsp fine salt (for pickling)
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
Stir-frying Carrots- 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil (or cooking oil)
- 0.3 tsp salt
Stir-frying Fish Cakes- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil
- 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil (or cooking oil)
- 0.3 tsp salt
Stir-frying Fish Cakes- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
I think I’ve embarked on a ‘gaining weight project’ lately, with my appetite in full swing and feeling hungry again soon after eating. While others say they lose their appetite as spring arrives and the weather gets warmer, my appetite is soaring! Even when trying to reduce calories and the amount of rice in gimbap, it has to be delicious, right? There are many types of diet gimbap, but as I make it, I tend to increase the rice portion and add ingredients that I feel are essential, making it impossible to calculate the calorie count! Still, the saying ‘if you eat it deliciously, it’s 0 calories’ is such a comfort every time I eat it, and I don’t know who came up with it.
Step 2
I heard that gimbap with whole cucumbers is trendy these days, so I was curious about the taste and decided to try it. First, rub the cucumber with coarse salt to wash it thoroughly. Then, gently scrape off the bumps on the surface with the back of a knife.
Step 3
Trim off the bitter ends of the cucumber and, without peeling, slice it lengthwise into thin strips. Slicing them thinly will give a better texture inside the gimbap.
Step 4
In a bowl, combine the sliced cucumber with 0.3 Tbsp of fine salt and 1 Tbsp of corn syrup. Gently mix and let it pickle for about 10 minutes. This process draws out excess moisture, keeping the cucumber crisp.
Step 5
While the cucumber is pickling, thinly slice the square fish cakes lengthwise into strips. These are a good size for gimbap filling.
Step 6
Place the sliced fish cakes in a sieve and rinse them briefly with boiling water. This helps remove any impurities or excess oil, resulting in a cleaner taste. Squeeze out any excess water.
Step 7
Heat 1 Tbsp of grapeseed oil in a pan. Add the sliced fish cakes, then 1 Tbsp of soy sauce and 1 Tbsp of corn syrup. Stir-fry until the fish cakes are glossy and well-coated with the sauce. Stir-frying over medium-low heat prevents burning and allows the flavors to meld nicely.
Step 8
Wash the carrot, peel it, and then cut it into long, thin strips, similar in length to the fish cakes. Having uniformly sized fillings makes rolling the gimbap easier.
Step 9
Heat 1 Tbsp of grapeseed oil (or cooking oil/olive oil) in a pan. Add the julienned carrots and 0.3 tsp of salt. Stir-fry just until the carrots are slightly tender. Be careful not to overcook, as they can become mushy.
Step 10
Prepare your homemade pickled radish. Rinse it briefly under running water and then pat it dry thoroughly with paper towels. Excess moisture can cause the rice to break apart when rolling the gimbap.
Step 11
I usually cook my rice with germinated brown rice and barley, so I used that today. In a bowl of warm rice, add 1 Tbsp of sesame seeds, 1 Tbsp of sesame oil, and 0.1 tsp of salt. Gently mix with a spatula, using a cutting motion to avoid mashing the rice grains. Let the rice cool slightly before using it; if it’s too hot, the seaweed can become soggy.
Step 12
The gimbap fillings are now almost ready! The carrots are lightly stir-fried, the cucumbers have been pickled and squeezed dry, the fish cakes are seasoned and stir-fried, and the homemade pickled radish and seasoned rice are all prepared. With all the fillings ready, rolling the gimbap is a breeze!
Step 13
Place a sheet of gimbap seaweed, shiny side down (rough side up), on a bamboo rolling mat. Spread a thin, even layer of the seasoned rice over the seaweed, leaving about a 3cm border at the top edge. This border helps seal the roll. I used 4 full sheets of seaweed and cut 2 sheets in half to layer on top of the rice, adjusting the rice amount.
Step 14
On top of the rice (over the layered seaweed if used), arrange the prepared fillings in the center. If you use perilla leaves (kkaennip) under the fillings, it adds a wonderful aroma. Today, I generously added carrots and cucumbers for a satisfying crunch.
Step 15
Add the stir-fried fish cakes and pickled radish. Roll the gimbap tightly. Lightly moisten the top edge of the seaweed with water; this acts like glue, sealing the roll so it doesn’t come apart. Alternatively, you can simply place the rolled edge down on the mat to help it seal naturally.
Step 16
Four delicious rolls of gimbap are now complete! Lightly brush the surface of the gimbap with sesame oil for a glossy finish and appealing look. This also helps keep the gimbap from drying out.
Step 17
Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top for added nutty flavor, and then slice the gimbap into bite-sized pieces. To make clean cuts, lightly coat your knife with sesame oil or dip it in hot water and wipe it dry before slicing, which prevents the rice from sticking.
Step 18
Arrange the sliced gimbap attractively on a round plate. Place the end pieces (the ‘tails’) in the center for a beautiful presentation. It looks like a gimbap feast!
Step 19
Serving on a square plate also makes it look abundant! But wait, 4 end pieces have already disappeared. Into my mouth, of course! I just couldn’t resist tasting the ends first. After making 4 rolls and snacking on them as I moved around the house, the plate was soon empty. I even felt a little regret, thinking, ‘Should I have made more?’ Though, even if I had made more, they probably would have disappeared just as quickly!
Step 20
Typically, basic gimbap includes egg omelet strips, braised burdock root, pickled radish, and spinach. However, even without the egg omelet or burdock today, the gimbap I made tasted incredibly delicious. I believe any food is delicious if the seasoning is right. If you season the rice lightly and each filling individually, there’s no way it won’t taste good!
