I had some kimbap (김밥) for lunch today and decided to write a post about it.  What is kimbap (김밥)?  Kimbap (김밥) is rice, some vegetables and meat wrapped in seaweed.  Kim (깁) means seaweed and bap (밥) means rice.  Kimbap (김밥) is really easy to make.  You can pretty much put whatever you want in it.

First, get some seaweed.  You can easily get this at a Korean grocery store.  Then put some rice all over the seaweed.  I prefer to mix some vinegar with the rice.  This allows the rice to stick to the seaweed, but it’s not necessary.  It’s just that a little moisture can go a long way, but it’s up to you.  Also, use white rice.  I find that barley and brown rice is thicker, and it doesn’t stick to the seaweed as well as white rice.

I like to keep my kimbap (김밥) simple.  If you put more than three ingredients in the kimbap (김밥), it can get chunky.  When it gets chunky some of the contents can spill out.  My three favorites are: crab meat, some spinich, and eggs.  You can get some packaged crab meat at a Korean grocery store near you, and as for the spinich, you can get it fresh or canned.  If you buy the canned spinich, make sure you squeeze out the juice.  As for the eggs, cook them until the yolk is dry.  Then cut them into horizontal strips.  Place all the ingredients on top of the rice and roll everything with a bamboo roller. 

Here are some other alternatives: use beef or ham instead of crab meat.  As for vegetables, you can use cucumbers and carrots.  In Korea, kimbap (김밥) is used as picnic food.  It’s also a popular form of Korean fast food, because they’re great to eat when you’re in a hurry.  Unlike fast food though, kimbap (김밥) is healthier.  In some Korean shops, you can get two rolls for $3, which isn’t too bad, considering the variety of ingredients that go in it.  Ok everyone, that’s it for today and here’s a youtube clip on making kimbap (김밥):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWmZUeugrHQ