Rice Bloghop: Veggie Kimbap with Korean Pan Seared Tofu

Kimbap is the Korean version of sushi :)

Cucumber, Asparagus, Spinach, Beets, Mushrooms & Korean Pan-Seared Tofu

Brown Rice + White Rice + Vinegar + Sesame Oil + Salt :)

Layer the goods on top of a nori rice sandwich...

Roll away~

Voila! Kimbap for ya :)

This is a typical packed lunch item or on-the-go food.

Unlike Japanese sushi, all the ingredients are cooked,

and sesame oil is used a lot!

It is quite flavorful and easy to change up

according to your tastebuds.

Veggie Kimbap with Korean Pan Seared Tofu

Carrots

Pickled Beets or Pickled Yellow Radish

Cucumber

Asparagus

Spinach
Portabella mushroom

Tofu or protein of choice

2 cups cooked rice 

nori seaweed sheets

Marinade for Tofu (or protein of choice):

1 tbsp of sesame oil

1 tbsp of soy sauce

1 tbsp of brown sugar

1 tbsp of water 

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp of sesame seeds

pinch of black pepper

Marinade for Korean Sushi Rice:

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp of vinegar

1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Finely chop carrots, beets/radish, cucumber, mushrooms into strips.

2. Steam spinach and asparagus. Drain the excess water from spinach afterwards.

3. Cut tofu into wide thin blocks. 

4. Combine sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and sesame seeds together.  Let strips of tofu rest in the marinade for 15-20 minutes. 

5. Heat up a pan at med-high heat. When the pan is hot, sear the tofu for 2-3 minutes on each side. 

6. Cook portabella mushrooms on the same pan (to get the flavors of the marinade) until soft.
7. Drain any access liquid from all veggies using a paper towel, especially the pickled beets!
8. On a bamboo rolling mat, place one nori sheet and thinly layer 2/3 of the nori sheet with rice. Then add another layer of nori to make a rice sandwich.

9. Layer the veggies and tofu in a linear and neat manner, placing everything carefully in the middle of the rice layer. 

10. Begin to gently, but firmly roll the kimbap. Add a tiny bit of water to the very tip of the nori to seal the kimbap!

11. Cut with a clean serrated knife. Enjoy with leftover tofu marinade or solo. 

Other tips: If your rice is sticky, I would wait one day before making the kimbap, since the excess moisture will loosen nori wrap. You can choose to slightly sear the veggies (1-2 minutes) with the remaining veggies like carrots and spinach, which is actually the traditional approach!

Have you tried kimbap before?

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september is #ricelove month!  

Please join in on the #ricelove fun by linking up any rice recipe from the month of September.  Don't forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #ricelove event. The twitter hashtag is #ricelove :).

Co-Hosted by:

Baker Street 

Bloc de Recetas 

Bon a Croquer

Cafe Terra
Chef Pandita

Daily Palette 

Elephant Eats
Food Wanderings 

Hobby and More

Knitstamatic 

Mike's Baking

Simply Reem
The Professional Palate 

The Queen's Notebook
The Spicy Rd