Folded Kimbap

Folded Kimbap (Korean Tortilla Hack). A super easy recipe to make two delicious variations of Korean kimbap: spam and egg or mayo tuna! Both are equally tasty and very simple to make at home. Great for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack!

I love kimbap. So when I saw this trend on TikTok first done with tortillas, I knew I had to give it a try but with an Asian twist! It looks so simple, just cut a slit into your wrapper, place your topping into each corner and fold it up.

Consequently, I did with some seaweed with my favourite toppings and it was delicious! Above all, it’s much easier than making a kimbap roll and quicker as well!

If you have pre-cooked rice or day-old rice in the fridge, this is a great kimbap recipe to use it up! Of course, as time passes, the rice will lose it’s moisture and will be less sticky. Therefore, I would recommend using 1-2 days old rice re-heated in the microwave and cooled prior to assembling your wrap.

What is a kimbap roll?

It's similar to sushi where it's rice wrapped in seaweed with mostly cooked fillings. The classic roll contains: cooked spinach, egg, carrots, crab meat, and pickled yellow daikon radish.

Kimbap fillings

With kimbap, the world is truly your oyster with the fillings! From mayo tuna to spam to egg or even grilled pork belly, it’s all up to you and what you desire. There are many kimbap variations online so I'm sure there is one that will suit your taste!

Sharing two versions!

For this recipe, I am going to provide two types that you can try: kimbap with spam and egg (if you’re not a big spam person, use ham) or kimbap tuna mayo version. I threw in some veggies to balance the protein out. However, feel free to substitute with lettuce if you’re not a fan of spinach or cucumbers, it’s up to you!

Tips to making Folded Kimbap

• Place your seaweed sheet rough side up. This allows for the toppings, especially that rice to stick to your sheet.
• In order to cut in the middle of your sheet, you can simply fold the sheet in half but ONLY pinch the end so create a small slit. From there you’ll know where to start cutting.
• Most importantly, don’t overfill it. Now I know it’s tempting to fill that kimbap to your heart’s desire to either use up the fillings or satiate that belly but if you do, it’ll be very difficult to fold your kimbap neatly. So just a thin layer of each topping will do.

What is the difference between Kimbap and Gimbap?

It’s just a matter of spelling and there’s no difference between the two.  They’re both Korean style seaweed rice rolls that contained mostly cooked ingredients.

What is the difference between sushi and kimbap?

Sushi originates from Japan and is a rice seaweed wrapped roll containing mostly raw and sometimes cooked ingredients. On the other hand, kimbap comes from Korea and contains mostly cooked ingredients. Certainly, both are very delicious!

Are Kimbap healthy?

Yes, depending on the ingredients that you fill it with! That is to say, if you fill it with very unhealthy ingredients then it could potentially be unhealthy. However, in general, the roll itself is quite healthy when made traditionally.

Is Kimbap eaten hot or cold?

Kimbap should be eaten fresh at room temperature. Therefore, neither hot or cold.

How long can you keep Kimbap?

It should be consumed within 24 hours once the roll is formed. As a result, I would not recommend refrigerating it as the rice will go hard.

Do you eat Kimbap with soy sauce?

Traditionally, no.  The roll itself is very flavourful that soy sauce is not necessary. But if you desire to do so, go for it!

Other recipes you may like!

PORK BELLY KIMBAP
SPICY TUNA KIMBAP
DECONSTRUCTED TUNA KIMBAP BOWL
CHRISTMAS TEMARI SUSHI BALLS
ONIGIRAZU (SUSHI SANDWICH)
JAPANESE TUNA ONIGIRI
VEGGIE SUSHI 

For this recipe

You will need the following kimbap ingredients:

4 sheets of roasted seaweed
1 cup cooked rice
Pinch of salt
⅛ teaspoon sesame oil
2 large carrots, peeled and finely sliced into matchsticks
Cooking oil

Breakfast version (serves 2)

4 slices of spam, fried
2 eggs, whisked and fried
2 tablespoon Kimchi
Japanese mayonnaise

Tuna Mayo Version (serves 2)

80-gram canned tuna in oil
½ teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mayo
2 cups baby spinach, washed

How to make Folded Kimbap

Firstly, season your warm cooked rice with salt and sesame oil and mix.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add canned tuna, mayo, ½ teaspoon sugar and ⅛ teaspoon salt and mix well. Set aside.

Then in a pan over low-medium heat, add 1 teaspoon cooking oil and cook carrot matchsticks until softened. Remove and transfer to a plate.

Subsequently in the same pan over medium heat, sauté your spinach until leaves have wilted and any moisture is evaporated.  Remove and transfer to a plate.

Next over medium heat add 1 teaspoon of oil and fry your sliced spam until golden brown on each side, about 3-5 minutes each side.

After that, add 1 teaspoon cooking oil and fry your whisked eggs molding your eggs into a rectangle shape with your spatula. Fry until cooked and transfer to a plate to slice the rectangle into half.

To assemble Breakfast Version:

Firstly place seaweed sheet on a clean working surface rough side up.  Using a pair of clean scissors, cut a slit vertically halfway through your sheet.

Place ¼ cup of rice on bottom right corner and spread it thinly

Then in the top right corner, place 1 piece of your square shaped omelet.

Next in the top left corner, place a single layer of carrot matchsticks. Do not overfill.

Finally, in the bottom left corner, place two slices of spam.

After that fold your kimbap from the bottom right corner (rice corner) over the eggs and keep folding until it’s one complete parcel. Optional: To slice it in half, wrap it in cling film tightly and cut with a sharp knife. Serve and enjoy!

To assemble Tuna Mayo Version:

Firstly, place seaweed sheet on a clean working surface rough side up.  Using a pair of clean scissors, cut a slit vertically halfway through your sheet.

Then rlace ¼ cup of rice on bottom right corner and spread it thinly.

Next in the top right corner, place a single layer of carrots. Do not overfill.

Subsequently in the top left corner, plate a thin layer of cooked spinach.

Finally, in the bottom left corner, spread a thin layer of tuna mayo mixture.

After that, fold your kimbap from the bottom right corner (rice corner) over the carrots and keep folding until it’s one complete parcel. Optional: To slice it in half, wrap it in cling film tightly and cut with a sharp knife. Serve and enjoy!

Give it a try!

In conclusion, I hope you give my Folded Kimbap recipe a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.

Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed this folded kimbap recipe, please share it with your family and friends or on social media! Take a picture if you've made my recipe and tag me on Instagram @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories so I can share your creation in my stories with credits to you!

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Take care,
Christie

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