I know this may look like a sushi roll to some folks, but it’s actually Korean Kimbap. Traditionally, Kimbap has egg or beef in it, but we used tofu and mushrooms as our meaty alternative.
Korean stores usually sell pickled radish pre-cut specifically for making kimbap. However, a lot of them are packaged with burdock root. Burdock is an ingredient in traditional kimbap.
Seasoned burdock root is NOT gluten free in most cases, so if you’re making a gluten free version please be aware of this while shopping. If you aren’t gluten free, you can add the burdock root to your version as desired.
When rolling the kimbap, grab the bottom side of the nori with all the rice and roll it over the filling. Squeeze tight to pack in the ingredients before continuing to roll through the rest of the nori. It’s important to do this, so that your filling does not just fall out when you cut your roll later.
Keep your tofu in your roll, not the floor,
Your favorite alternative chefs, K & T
Vegan Kimbap
Ingredients
- 1½ cups uncooked white rice
- 5 – 7 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 bunch spinach stems removed
- ¼ tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp tamari
- 1 carrot julienned
- 5 strips yellow pickled radish
- 4 oz marinated firm tofu cut into strips
- 5 sheets of nori
Instructions
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Place the mushrooms in a bowl of water and let them rehydrate for 10 – 15 minutes, then cut them into strips.
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Next, add the strips of mushroom to the pan and saute with the tamari for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
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Heat a pan over medium heat and saute the spinach with sesame oil. They should only take a minute or two to become wilted. Remove spinach from the pan and set aside.
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To assemble the kimbap, place a piece of nori on a bamboo sushi roller, shiny side down. Add a layer of rice over ¾ of the nori starting with the side closest to you. Then add radish, carrots, mushrooms, tofu, and spinach in a row across the rice about 1 inch from the edge. Now roll the kimbap tightly! Slice into 8 even pieces before serving.