Gimbap/Kimbap (김밥) is a Korean dish made from cooked rice and...


jeju-famous kimbap


bulgogi kimbap


homemade kimbap


chamchi tuna kimbap


nude kimbap

Gimbap/Kimbap (김밥) is a Korean dish made from cooked rice and other ingredients that are rolled in gim—dried sheets of laver seaweed—and served in bite-size slices. I’ve heard people refer to it as “Korean sushi” but it’s very different from Japanese sushi. 

In Korea, it’s often part of a packed meal, or dosirak, to be eaten at picnics and outdoor events, and can serve as a light lunch along with danmuji (yellow pickled radish) and kimchi.

It’s simple; it’s rice seasoned with roasted sesame oil placed on a sheet of seaweed stuffed with various vegetables and meat like yellow egg, orange carrots, white cucumbers, green spinach, pink ham, brown burdock, and yellow turnip. Then, they’re wrapped carefully, yet firmly, brushed with some more sesame oil (to prevent the seaweed from ripping) and then sliced.

Variations of gimbap are boundless. It can be stuffed with tuna fish, kimchi, beef bulgogi, shrimp, crab, cheese, and even crispy, tiny anchovies.

I have even seen dessert gimbap and “nude” gimbap that has rice on the outside. Gimbap is limited only by the imagination. 

About 

Hi, I'm Stacy. I'm from Portland, Oregon, USA, and am currently living in Busan, South Korea. Check me out on: Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Lastfm, and Flickr.