Cooking with Jeana Sohn: Kimbap

One of my favorite dishes to order when I eat lunch at the Korean spa is Kimbap, a seaweed-wrapped rice roll . It’s as light and clean as it is flavorful and Jeana Sohn promised she would teach me how to make it. The version I eat at the spa is filled with ground beef and veggies but Jeana suggested we swap the beef for a combo of tuna and crab. We also made a version with Kimchi, which was awesome. You can totally experiment with this dish – just think of this recipe as a guide. Oh and you’ll need one of these. This is a perfect lunch. And it’s easy! And many thanks to JS for agreeing to spend a few hours showing me the ropes. Next up on “Cooking with JS” – Kimchi Fried Rice.

KIMBAP
(serves 4)

2 cups cooked rice, cooled
2 cups of spinach
1 cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 tsp olive oil
1 carrot, julienned
2 tbs rice wine vinegar
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbs sesame oil
2 cans of tuna packed in olive oil, drained
2 tbs mayonaise
4 pieces dried seaweed (nori)
8 sesame leaves (optional)
pickled radish, sliced into long strips
Imitation crab

While rice is cooling, prepare all of your ingredients:

-Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spinach and flash cook for 7-8 seconds. Put in cold water to stop the cooking and squeeze dry.

-Add a healthy sprinkling of salt to the cucumber and let sit for ten minutes. Then squeeze the cucumber with a paper towel to absorb as much moisture as you can (Jeana says all ingredients need to be super dry!).

-Add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan that is set over medium heat. Sauté the julienned carrot with a little salt and pepper until slightly golden.

-Make the dressing for the rice by combining the vinegar, sugar, salt and sesame oil. Once the rice is cool, add the dressing and mix to coat.

-Combine tuna with mayo.

Once everything is prepped you are ready to assemble: Using a bamboo sushi roller, use a single piece of nori as your base. Thinly spread with a layer of rice, leaving 1/2″ on the bottom and top with no rice. Add the rest of your ingredients on the top 1/4 of the piece of nori: sesame leaves, radish, tuna, carrots, spinach, cucumbers and crab. Roll towards the bottom of the bamboo mat and use a little water to seal. Slice into 1/2″ pieces and serve!