Gluten Free Beef Bulgogi Kimbap
The first time I had kimbap was in the second grade at the age of seven. My new best friend had brought some for the class to eat on her birthday. I didn’t know it at the time, but this is a Korean custom and while everyone looked around in horror and barely touched her food, I gladly took some and tried it for myself.
If you’re wondering why anyone would pass up a delicious kimbap roll, it’s because it was the 90s and even sushi wasn’t really popular back then. My how times have changed!
There are many different ways to make Kimbap, aka: Korean sushi. Today, I opted to put bulgogi in mine with some other traditional Korean ingredients.
The difference between Kimbap is generally the size of the rolls and the fillings. While sushi tends to be filled with mostly raw fish, Kimbap on the other hand uses cooked meats and seafood.
Ingredients:
(Makes 3-4 servings)
Bulgogi:
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 lb shaved beef or bulgogi cut beef
1/2 an onion
1 small carrot (optional)
Nori sheets
Bulgogi Marinade:
1/2 an onion
2 cloves of garlic
6 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or herbal vinegar
1 small apple, peeled (optional)
1 tsp minced ginger (about a knob)
Carrot:
1 extra large carrot, julienned
1 tsp sesame oil
salt, to taste
Spinach:
1 bunch spinach
2 scallions, diced
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp coconut aminos
salt, to taste
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Pickled Radish:
1 daikon radish or korean radish
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Boiling water
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
pinch of black pepper
Rice:
1 cup raw white short or medium grain rice
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp apple cider or herbal vinegar
Preparations:
All of the dishes except the rice can be prepared ahead of time and assembled when you are ready to consume. The bulgogi and radish should always be made ahead of time to ensure the pickles are ready and marinade has properly soaked into the beef.
Pickled Radish:
Peel the skin off of the radish. Then, cut it into equal sized strips short or long enough to fit into a glass container or jar. Place the strips into the container of your choice.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in the turmeric and salt. Once it’s boiling, turn off the heat and add in the turmeric powder and black pepper. Then pour your brine over the diced radish.
Allow the mixture to cool and refrigerate. This should be prepared the night or day before you intend to make your kimbap.
Bulgogi:
Blend all of the marinade ingredients together in a blender except for the bulgogi.
Place the bulgogi into a small dish, container or plastic bag. Pour the marinade ingredients over the bulgogi and allow it to marinade over night.
The next morning, or whenever you’re ready to make the bulgogi oil a pan with sesame and avocado oils. Once it’s hot enough, add in the onion and carrot and a let them soften.
Then, add the rest of the marinaded bulgogi and continue to cook until the beef is completely cooked through. Remove from heat. Your bulgogi is finished.
Spinach:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the spinach for 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, you may add 1-2 cups of water a skillet and steam the spinach for a few minutes until it’s wilted.
Remove from the water with tongs and rinse under cold water to stop the spinach from cooking and make it cool to the touch.
Place it into a small bowl and add in the diced scallions, sesame oil, salt, coconut aminos and sesame seeds. Mix together with your hands and set aside.
Carrot:
Oil a skillet with avocado oil and once it’s hot, add the julienned carrots to it. Let them cook until soft before adding in one teaspoon of sesame oil and salt. Stir to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Rice:
Add the raw rice and 1.5 cups of water to a pot. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the water to evaporate. Then turn off the heat and let the rice sit for another 10 minutes. Remove the lid, add in the sesame oil and vinegar and stir to combine. Set aside.
Assembling:
Grab a sheet of nori and place the shiny side down on a sushi rolling mat and cutting board.
Place a small dish of room temperature water by your side. Dip your hands in or coat them with a bit of oil to stop them from sticking to the rice as much
Place a spoonful of rice onto your nori and use your fingers to spread it out to all corners of the sheet, leaving about 1/4 to 1/3 room at the top.
Add a bit of the bulgogi on top of the rice. Then, add some of the spinach, the carrots and one to two strips of pickled radish depending on how long you’ve cut your strips.
Next, begin to roll the kimbap up from the bottom (the part closest to you), using your fingers and the mat to guide you. As you roll the rice, meat and veggies use your thumbs to curl the bottom of the sheet and mat while your fingers fold and push the food inside of the kimbap closer to your body. What you’re essentially doing here is making sure you’re tightly rolling and holding the bap (rice).
Next, roll the kimbap over itself while pushing the top half of the nori down and allowing the sushi mat to protrude over the roll. As you do this, stop for as second to squeeze the roll again to keep everything together and tidy and continue to roll upwards until you have a small bit of nori showing with the rest of the roll compact.
Dab your fingers into your dish of water again and moisten the edge of the roll with your finger tips. Then continue to roll making sure to seal the edge tightly. Do this by squeezing the roll as it’s lying on it’s stomach (closure side facing down) and hold it here for a few seconds to ensure the water has properly sealed your roll. Otherwise your roll may come apart.
Next, take a tablespoon or so of avocado oil and brush it on the outside of your kimbap before sprinkling some more sesame seeds over it.
Then, roll up the rest of your kimbap in the same way.
Once all of your kimbaps are rolled up nicely, use a very sharp knife (I use a sushi knife I bought on amazon) to cut them into individual pieces.
Consume immediately or store in the fridge for the rest of the week.
