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Tuna Kimbap. It's one of Korea's favorite type of Kimbap. It tastes light and savory, a spring tuna salad with crunchy bits of cucumber and cabbage. Not to mention the slight grassy smell of the perilla leaf. A perfect roll to make for the summer!

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This recipe is much simpler to make than traditional Kimbap. All you need is a can of tuna and a few fresh veggies.

Substitutions: If you don't like tuna, replace it with canned chicken. For the perilla leaves, there is no real substitute. Perhaps shiso leaves? If you can't find either, skip it or add a few Thai or Lemon basil leaves. It should also add a hint of herbal flavor.

P.s. In Korea, we like to eat Kimbap with a bowl of Spicy Korean Ramen. The two pair well together - Bon Appetit neighbors!

Tuna Kimbap - One of Korea's Favorite Kimbap

Tuna Kimbap is one of Korea's favorite type of Kimbap

4.50 from 8 votes

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Course: Easy

Servings: rolls

Ingredients

Fresh ingredients

Tuna - 1 can 150 grams
Gim - 3 sheets
Cabbage - 1 layer
Perilla leaves - 6
Cucumber - small piece length of your pointer finger
Onion - ¼ whole

Sushi Rice Seasoning

Cooked white rice - 2 cups
Salt - ½ teaspoon
Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
Sesame seeds - few shakes

Tuna Cucumber Salad Seasoning

Mayonnaise - 3 Tablespoons Japanese or Korean Mayonnaise tastes great!
Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Black pepper - few shakes

Instructions

Prep ingredients

Open tuna can. Drain it and squeeze out the oil.
Take stems off perilla leaves. Cut the ¼ piece of onion into thin small slices. Julienne the piece of cucumber and cabbage leaf into very thin strips.
Take out a mixing bowl. Mix-in mayonnaise, vinegar and black pepper. Stir it together. Then throw in the tuna, cabbage, cucumber and onions. Mix it together with your hands. Top the mixture with a few shakes of black pepper.

Make gimbap rice

Put rice into a large bowl. Fan it out so it can lose some steam and cool off.
Then sprinkle some salt (½ teaspoon) over the rice. Place sesame oil in (1 Tablespoon). Sprinkle on sesame seeds as well. Mix everything together. Set aside.

Roll-up gimbap

Place a sheet of gim on the cutting board (make sure its dry)
Place an even layer of rice over the gim - up to about ⅔ of the sheet (reference video). Don't let the rice clump up in one spot - spread it out evenly.
Place two perilla leaves at the center of the rice. Then put a few scoops of the tuna mixture over the leaves.
Pull the bottom of the sheet up to the ⅔ line. Then use your hands to gently scoot back the filling, while squeezing the roll to make it firm. Continue to roll to the end.
Dab your finger in water. Then run it across the edge of the sheet. Roll it and seal the roll off.
Repeat again to make two more rolls.