Kimbap

Name: Kimbap
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 2 cups sushi rice; 2¼ cups water; 1 cucumber; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt, divided; 3 large eggs; 1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided; 1½ cups shredded carrots; 5 oz baby spinach; 2 tbsp sesame oil, divided; 4 nori sheets; 8 oz imitation crab, sticks; 1 tsp sesame seeds

Korean seaweed rice rolls packed with egg, crab, spinach, carrot and tangy cucumber, brushed with sesame oil and sliced into pretty rounds.

75 min total
55 min hands-on
A little more hands-on
Serves 4
About $3.21 a serving
610 calories
Dairy-free

Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.

Ingredients

For 4 servings.

2 cups sushi rice
1 cucumber
3 large eggs
1½ cups shredded carrots
5 oz baby spinach
2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
4 nori sheets
8 oz imitation crab, sticks
1 tsp sesame seeds

From your pantry

2¼ cups water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt, divided
1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

Each serving has about 610 calories, 19 g protein, 98 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $3.21 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.

Missing something?

No cucumbers? English cucumbers or mini cucumbers work.
No shredded carrots? Carrots work.
No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.

Steps

Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.

the rice until the water runs almost clear.
Bring it in a with the water.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low 15 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Leave it covered off the heat 10 minutes.
Timer: 10 min
Cut the cucumber into long sticks, cutting away the seedy middle. them with the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and let them sit 10 minutes, then .
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: This quick pickle stands in for the yellow radish in Korean kimbap, adding the same tangy crunch.
Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.
Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick over medium, pour in the eggs, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until set.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Flip for 30 seconds, then slice into long strips.
Medium heatTimer: 30 sec
In the same skillet, cook the carrot with a little oil and a pinch of salt 2 minutes, until soft, and set it aside. Then the spinach 1 minute, squeeze out the water, and it with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min
1 tablespoon of the sesame oil and ½ teaspoon salt into the rice and spread it out on a plate until it’s warm, not hot.
Dolly’s tip: Hot rice makes the seaweed shrink and go soggy. Warm rice is sticky enough to hold without that.
Lay a sheet of nori shiny side down on a piece of . With wet hands, press about 1½ cups of rice in a thin, even layer over it, leaving the top inch bare.
Dolly’s tip: Wet your hands every scoop and press lightly. Packed rice makes a dense, heavy roll.
Line up a strip of egg, crab, cucumber, carrot and spinach in rows across the bottom third of the rice.
Using the parchment to help, roll the nori up and over the filling, tuck it in snugly, and keep rolling, pressing gently as you go.
Dolly’s tip: Squeeze the roll through the parchment as you go, like rolling up a sleeping bag. Snug rolls slice clean.
Dab the bare edge with a few grains of rice to seal it.
Repeat.
Brush each roll with the last of the sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and into ½-inch rounds with a sharp, wet knife.
Dolly’s tip: Wipe and wet the knife between every few cuts and saw gently. A dry knife squashes the roll.
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.