Folded Kimbap Sandwich is a fun, easy and delicious Korean street snack that shot to fame with the K-drama, Extraordinary Attorney Woo. It's simple to make and super versatile for lunchboxes: read on for some of the many possible fillings!
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⭐ Why You Should Try Kimbap, Attorney Woo Style
- Kimbap is delicious: whatever way it's served, regular or folded, kimbap is delicious! Traditional kimbap is similar in structure to Japanese sushi, but has a bolder flavor thanks to all the sesame and sometimes even gochujang paste used! Folded kimbap is in the form of a square, like a Asian version of a sandwich!
- So much easier to make than regular kimbap: many of us love kimbap and sushi but get freaked out by what looks to be a complicated rolling process. (What happens if the rice roll bursts?!) With folded kimbap, like baked tuna sushi and salmon baked Asian casserole, it's so easy to fold that even a toddler could do it!
- It's a flexible complete meal, perfect for lunchboxes: Because there are 3 fillings, you can have 1 protein and 2 vegetables, making it a nice and healthy meal. Using seaweed (gim) instead of bread makes it healthier than the regular sandwich. To be even healthier, try brown rice or quinoa! (Just pay attention to food safety and don't leave the rice at room temperature for too long.)
Note: Make it a complete Korean feast by serving with these Korean side dishes (banchan), makgeolli (or Korean plum tea, if you don't drink!) and finish with hotteok sweet pancakes!
What is Kimbap?
Also known as gimbap, it's cooked short-grain rice rolled in dried seaweed sheets (gim 김 ) with other ingredients, such as meat, fish and vegetables. You can think of it as Korean sushi!
The taste is more savory than Japanese sushi thought. The rice is usually mixed with sesame oil, sesame seeds and salt whilst Japanese rice is usually mixed with sugar, salt and rice vinegar.
To learn about different Asian rice dishes, complete with recipes, click here!
Note: Folded Kimbap (접는 김밥) is also known as Sagak Kimbap (사각김밥) or Square Kimbap!
🥘 Ingredients
You can make Korean Kimbap with a few simple ingredients. The main ones are:
- short-grain Korean rice: you can also use sushi rice, or 1 of its substitutes. (Leftover rice can be used in these recipes!) Do not use too much rice or the ingredients will ooze out of the wrap and make everything a mess! Leftover rice is perfect as it's dryer, but you can also use freshly cooked rice (just reduce the water slightly.) Tip: I like to cook my rice with some dried kelp to give it more umami!
- dried seaweed sheet: there is a rough side and a shiny side. You want to place the ingredients on the rough side, so that the shiny seaweed faces out after wrapping. You can brush the seaweed with some sesame oil and sesame seeds if you like! Leftovers should be stored in an airtight plastic bag (Ziplock?) and used ASAP, as the sheets absorb moisture and go soft quickly. You can buy these at Korean and Asian grocery stores but make sure you get the one that is specifically for gimbap/ sushi!
You will also need 3 fillings. I suggest using at least 1 that is creamy/ has a sauce, so that the rice wrap doesn't taste dry! These include:
Protein Fillings
- Canned tuna mixed with Gochujang Mayonnaise, Spicy Kimchi Mayo, cream cheese, sriracha mayo or even Sambal Aioli!
- Pork Belly dipped in Ssamjang
- Pan-fried Firm Tofu (Don't use silken- it'll make a mess)
- Egg Mayo Salad
- Chicken Bulgogi
- Shredded crab stick mixed with mayonnaise
- Spam (sliced thinly)
- Sausages
- Egg (sunny-side or omelette. Note that if you like your egg yolk runny, it may spill when cutting the kimbap sandwich!)
- Fish cake(odeng or eomuk)
Tip: if you have a "wet" filling such as canned tuna or pickles, place them on some perilla leaves or lettuce. This prevents the moisture from soaking through to the seaweed and making it soggy and tough! Likewise, it's very important to dry your veg and squeeze the water out where possible!
Vegetable Fillings
- Julienned Carrot stir-fry (Sauteeing them makes them softer)
- Cucumber pickles
- Pickled radish
- Kimchi
- Perilla leaves
- Sliced avocados
- Butterhead Lettuce
- and more!
📖 Variations & Substitutes
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
Cooking The Rice
1a. Preferably use overnight rice. If not, cook a fresh batch that is slightly drier than normal.
1b. Wash the rice as usual (I do it thrice, till the water runs clear) then add an equal amount of water (as rice) and let the rice soak for 15-30 minutes, along with the dried kelp.
Note: don't do the typical Asian thing of measuring till the first line of your index finger here or the rice will be too wet and mushy!
1c. Cook as per normal. Once cooked, remove the dried kelp, and mix in the sesame oil, salt and sesame seeds (if using.)
1d. Spread to dry on a large plate or tray.
2a. Whilst the rice is cooling, cook the egg, sunny-side or omelette.
2b. Stir-fry the cut kimchi (optional, it can be used raw too but cooking with sugar and sesame oil helps to "tame" the flavor.)
2c. Preparing the Seaweed
Optional (if you want to cut the seaweed exactly for a neater sandwich): Fold the seaweed sheet into half, then half again. Open the sheet and you'll see an indentation where the exact middle of the sheet is. Use a pair of scissors and cut the middle of the long side of the seaweed sheet.
Note: I usually just eyeball it and rough-cut!
3. Place your fillings on the seaweed. Use your hands or a spoon to pack the rice down (about 3-4 tablespoons.) If using fingers (easier), make sure to keep vinegary water in a small bowl nearby. You want to lightly wet your fingers before touching the rice so that it doesn't stick to you! (Or use gloves)
Note: I usually place the rice at the bottom left corner (if you have something that is quite loose, you can place it above the rice- the sticky rice helps to hold it in place.)
Folding the Kimbap Sandwich
4. Carefully fold the bottom left quarter up and over the top left quarter. Some rice may fall out if you didn't pack it closely enough. Just pick the grains up and shove them back in!
Folding the Kimbap Sandwich, cont
5. Now pick up the top left quarter and fold it over onto the top right quarter.
Note: we're basically folding in an anti-clockwise direction!
Folding the Kimbap Sandwich, cont
6. Now fold the last 2 quarters onto each other and you get a kimbap sandwich!
Note: mine's messy because I eyeballed where I cut the seaweed. For something neater, cut along the exact middle. However, you won't be able to see the mess once we pack in plastic wrap and cut so....
Optional
You can enjoy the Folded Kimbap as it was, or cut into half. If not eating straight away, wrap in cling film first. (You can cut through the cling film later.)
Tip: make sure your knife is sharp or it won't be able to cut cleanly through the seaweed!
You can also enjoy the sandwich as is, without cutting through it!
Optional: brush the seaweed with some sesame oil and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on it for more flavor!
🥡 How to Store
You can keep kimbap in the fridge for 1-2 days, depending on the shelf life of the ingredients used.
Wrap tightly in cling film before storing in an airtight container in the fridge! To serve, pop it into the microwave for 10-20 seconds. You want to reheat the rice slightly so it's not fridge cold/ hard but that's about it.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
Tip #1: DO NOT OVERFILL. Use some thin fillings (such as cheese) and some "fat" ones (such as sausages.) If all your fillings are thick, you'll have problems folding it at the end and everything will drop out! Looser fillings should be placed above the rice so that the sticky rice can held hold them in place.
Tip #2: Pack down your rice so it's compact. This makes it easier to put more filing into your kimbap, but also makes sure the rice grains don't drop out later. You can press down with a spoon, but it's easier to use your hand so I suggest having a small bowl of vinegary water (2 ounces of water mixed with 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar.) next to you when you fold. (Having damp hands helps to prevent the rice from sticking!)
Tip #3: If using cooked ingredients, such as sautéed carrots, prepare those first before prepping the raw ones (e.g. avocados.) You want the cooked ingredients to cool before adding them to the kimbap, or they'll introduce moisture which makes the seaweed soggy and not so nice to eat!
🥗 Other Korean Recipes
Enjoyed this easy Kimbap Sandwich or Korean Tortilla Recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked this Korean snack, please consider supporting it by buying me a coffee! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!
Folded Kimbap Sandwich (Attorney Woo)
Equipment
- Scissors
- Bowl of water mixed with vinegar Substitute: gloves or a wooden spoon (to pack the rice)
Ingredients
- 1¼ Cup cooked short-grain rice Ideally leftover and cooked with dried kelp. If cooking fresh, make sure the rice is not too wet! Substitute: sushi rice or 1 of its alternatives
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- salt to taste. Remember to use less if you're using processed ingredients in your Korean sandwich, such as SPAM or sausages.
- white sesame seeds lightly toasted, optional
- 4 seaweed sheets gim (김밥용 김), also known as nori
Fillings
- 4 egg I cooked mine sunny side, but you can also make an omelette (and shred the omelette into egg strips!)
- 1 Can tuna drain well before mixing with gochujang and mayonnaise. I use about 3-4 Tablespoons of mayo as I find canned tuna dry. You may wish to follow the proportions in this gochujang aioli recipe, or do it to taste. Ideally place this on a butterhead lettuce leaf so it doesn't shrivel the seaweed.
- ½ Cup kimchi squeezed very dry and cut into small pieces. (Keep the kimchi juice to make stew!) You can use these raw or sautée with sesame oil and sugar first. Ideally place this on a butterhead lettuce leaf so the juice doesn't wet the seaweed.
- Pan-fried SPAM, lettuce leaves, perilla leaves, etc Other optional fillings. See post for full list.
Instructions
Cooking the Rice
- Ideally use leftover rice but, if not, you can use a fresh batch that is not too wet.
- Wash the rice as usual (I do it thrice, till the water runs clear) then add an equal amount of water (as rice) and let the rice soak for 15-30 minutes, along with the dried kelp.Note: don't do the typical Asian thing of measuring till the first line of your index finger here or the rice will be too wet and mushy!
- Start cooking as per normal.
- Once cooked, remove the dried kelp, and mix in the sesame oil, salt and sesame seeds (if using.)
- Spread on a large tray or plate to allow to cool. You don't want it sizzling on the seaweed- it should be lukewarm or cool enough to handle easily.
Preparing the Filling
- Whilst the rice is cooling, cook the egg, sunny-side or omelette. You can shred the omelette into strips if you wanna go fancy.
- Stir-fry the cut kimchi (optional, it can be used raw too but cooking with sugar and sesame oil helps to "tame" the flavor.)
Preparing the Seaweed
- Option A (if you want to cut the seaweed exactly for a neater sandwich): Fold the seaweed sheet into half, then half again. Open the sheet and you'll see an indentation where the exact middle of the sheet is. Use a pair of scissors and cut the middle of the long side of the seaweed sheet.Option B: I usually just eyeball it and rough-cut!
Assembling the Sandwich (photos in post)
- Place your fillings on the seaweed. Use your hands or a spoon to pack the rice down (about 3-4 tablespoons.) If using fingers (easier), make sure to keep vinegary water in a small bowl nearby. You want to lightly wet your fingers before touching the rice so that it doesn't stick to you! (Or use gloves)Note: I usually place the rice at the bottom left corner (if you have something that is quite loose, you can place it above the rice- the sticky rice helps to hold it in place.)
- Carefully fold the bottom left quarter up and over the top left quarter. Some rice may fall out if you didn't pack it closely enough. Just pick the grains up and shove them back in!
- Repeat in an anti-clockwise direction till you're down to a sandwich a quarter of the size of the original seaweed sheet (see post for photos)
- You can enjoy the Folded Kimbap as it is, or cut into half. If not eating straight away, wrap in cling film first. (You can cut through the cling film later.)Tip: make sure your knife is sharp or it won't be able to cut cleanly through the seaweed!
Notes
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