Mini Kimbap.
Today, I’m excited to show you how to make Kkoma Kimbap (꼬마김밥).
Kkoma kimbap is also known as “kid kimbap” or “mini kimbap”.
People love it because its petite-sized & easy to eat.
It works well as an on-the-go meal. In fact, you’ll see it being served near subway stations – by mom & pop vendors.
One of my favorite shops in Seoul is Mari Wang (마리왕) which is located in Sadang Station – Katie and I would like to munch here from time-to-time.
Pick out a few rolls (Classic – check!, Tuna Mayo – check!, Spicy Emokuk – check!) Order a side of Spicy Tteokbokki. And while you wait, pour yourself a small cup of complementary fish cake broth!
Perfect way to curb your hunger.
The key to these mini kimbaps is cutting the ingredients thin – especially root vegetables like carrot.
Today, I’ll show you a trick on how to get it paper-thin!
I’ll also breakdown how to make Mayak Sauce. This is served as a dipping sauce for the mini kimbap rolls.
It’s absolutely delicious.
Cooking Tips in Mini Kimbap:
In our recipe, we’ll cooking enough rice to make 20-30 mini rolls (enough to feed 4-5 people!)
If you’re cooking only for 2 people, use only 1 cup of uncooked rice (instead of 2 cups). Then add-in only half the seasoning ingredients – exact amount marked in the recipe.
Also, if you have any rice leftover – don’t waste it.
Simply measure out 1-person servings (~1 cup), place into plastic bags and store in the freezer! The next day, take frozen rice out of bag and place into a bowl, then re-heat in microwave for 2 minutes.
With leftover kimbap ingredients, place in Tupperware and store in the refrigerator – should stay good for up to 3 days. Eat as a banchan or chop-up and use in a stir-fry or fried rice.
When making the rolls, add enough ingredients so its spilling out of the sides. This makes the rolls looks more pretty at the end.
Also don’t forget to brush the mini rolls with sesame oil. This layer of oil makes the seaweed flexible and easy to cut – as well as enhancing the taste.
Finally, feel free to skip or swap any ingredients! Make it yours.
That's it neighbors! Daniel out 🕺~
If you make this mini kimbap at home, tag us on IG – we love flipping through pictures of your dishes in the morning! It give us energy to create more recipes!
(P.s. If you’re cooking alone, don’t get bored. Consider listening to our latest podcast episode while you cook!)
Ingredients
Rice for Kimbap (20+ Mini Rolls)
- 2 cups Short Grain, White Rice (Sushi Rice)
- 1.75 cups Water
Rice Seasoning
- 3-4 large pinches Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- Few shakes Sesame Seeds
Carrot for Kimbap
- 1-2 Whole Carrots
- Few pinches Salt
Spinach for Kimbap
- 2 large handfuls Spinach
- ½ teaspoon(!) Minced Garlic (1 clove)
- 1 teaspoon (!) Soy Sauce
- ½ teaspoon (!) Sesame Oil
Fishcake for Kimbap
- 4 Sheets Eomuk (Korean Fish Cake) Each sheet, length of your palm
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Oligodang Syrup (Subst. with Honey, Ssalyeot, Or Mulyeot)
- Small drizzle Sesame Oil
- Few shakes Sesame Seeds
Ham for Kimbap
- Small handful Ham
Danmuji (Yellow Korean Radish) for Kimbap
- Small handful Danmuji (Yellow Korean Radish)
Seaweed Sheets for Kimbap
- 5 sheets Kim (Korean Seaweed Sheets)
Coating for Kimbap
- Brush of Sesame Oil
- Few shakes Sesame Seeds
Mayak Dipping Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Mirin
- 1 Tablespoon Oligodang Syrup (Subst. with Honey, Ssalyeot, Or Mulyeot)
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon(!) Hot Vinegar (연겨자)
Instructions
Make Rice
- Wash 2 cups of short-grain, white rice in your rice cooker bowl. Rinse the rice until the residual water turns clear (3-4 washes). Then carefully pour out as much water as you can from the soaking rice. Next, add-in 1.75 cups of fresh water into the bowl.
- Place the bowl back into the rice cooker and press cook.
Prep Carrot
- Peel 2 carrots. Trim-off the ends. Then use a peeler and carefully peel off thick strands from the carrot.
- Stack these thick strands and julienne them into fine strips.
- Next, place a frying pan on medium heat. Place some oil in. Once its hot, place the carrot strips in. Season them with a few pinches of salt. Stir-fry it for 2 minutes, or until the carrots start to sweat. Then turn off heat and place the carrots into a bowl - set aside.
Prep Spinach
- Grab 2 large handfuls of spinach. Trim off the ends from the spinach (if any). Then thoroughly rinse the spinach in water - get rid of any dirt.
- Fill a pot with water and bring it to boil. Once its boiling, add-in the spinach for only 30 seconds. Use a timer. Then drain and cool the spinach down in cold water.
- Afterwards, use your hands and squeeze the water out of the spinach.
- Detangle the clumps of spinach in a mixing bowl. Then season it with Minced Garlic (½ teaspoon!), Soy Sauce (1 teaspoon!), Sesame Oil (½ teaspoon!). Give it a thorough toss with your hands. Place into a bowl and set it aside.
Prep Eomuk (Korean Fish Cakes)
- Take out 4 sheets of Korean Eomuk. Fold a sheet in half and carefully cut them into long strips. Repeat for each sheet.
- Then place a frying pan on medium heat. Add a little bit of oil. Once its hot, add the eomuk strips in. Stir-fry around for 1 minute. Then add in Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon) and Oligodang Syrup (1 Tablespoon). Stir-fry for 15-20 seconds. Then follow-up with Sesame Oil (small drizzle) and Sesame Seeds (few shakes).
- Stir-fry for 1-2 more minutes. Place into a bowl and set aside.
Prep Ham for Kimbap
- Cut ham into long strips. Then place into a frying pan with a little bit of oil. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Place onto a plate and set aside.
Prep Danmuji (Korean Pickled Radish)
- Cut the long Danmuji in half. Then split them in half again. If you see any large pieces, split those in half again. Set aside for next step.
Prep Seaweed Sheet
- Take our 5 seaweed sheets. Use a pair of kitchen scissors and cut them into 4 rectangle pieces. Set aside for next step.
Prep Sesame Oil & Sesame Seeds
- Before we begin rolling, pour a little bit of toasted sesame oil into a small bowl - along with a small kitchen brush. Set aside some sesame seeds as well. We'll apply both to each finished kimbap roll.
Season Kimbap Rice
- Place 5 cups of cooked rice into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle 3-4 large pinches of Salt. Then add-in Rice Vinegar (1 Tablespoon) over the rice - pour it over a rice paddle for better distribution (reference video). Next add-in Sesame Oil (1 Tablespoon) - pour it over the rice paddle as well. Then sprinkle on some Sesame Seeds.
- Carefully fold the rice so all the ingredients are evenly mixed together. Then cover the bowl with a damp (moist) towel - so it doesn't dry out.
- [Note: If you want to make ~10 rolls (instead of 20+), scoop out only 2.5 cups of rice. Then use 1-2 large pinches of salt, ½ Tablespoon of Rice Vinegar, ½ Tablespoon of Sesame Oil and a few sprinkles of Sesame Seeds]
Roll Kimbap Roll
- Put on a pair of plastic gloves - makes it easier to spread rice. Then place one rectangle gim sheet on a kimbap (sushi) rolling mat. Spread the rice evenly over the entire sheet.
- Then place a little bit of each ingredient in the middle. The ingredients can spill over the edges - it actually looks prettier when it's rolled.
- Then carefully grab one edge and roll it until it meets the other end. Take the rolled kimbap and roll it again with the kimbap (sushi) rolling mat - this will make the roll feel compact!
- Next dab your kitchen brush in the sesame oil and pat it against the edges of the bowl - you don't want too much. Then brush the sesame oil over the roll. Finish each roll with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
- Repeat until you finish all of the ingredients.
- Cut the mini kimbap rolls in ½ or ⅓. Eat by itself or dip into mayak dipping sauce below.
Make Mayak Dipping Sauce
- Thoroughly Mix Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon), Mirim (1 Tablespoon), Oligodang Syrup (1 Tablespoon), Vinegar (1 Tablespoon), Hot Mustard (1 teaspoon!).
- Dip the mini rolls into the mayak sauce and... Bon Appetit!
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