Gim Bap: Korean style rolls

My husband has been busy interviewing and jetsetting around the country.  Unsure of what time he would be coming home before catching his flight, I wanted to make sure he had some dinner, and make it travel friendly just in case he couldn't eat at home.  I made what my mom use to make whenever we would go on road trips.  Gimbap!  I must admit, they can take a lot of work if you don't have everything already.  I had luckily marinated the meat the night before. 

 

 You can also use different vegetables but the staples typically include:
- julienne carrots sauteed in sesame oil
- spinach blanched then seasoned with sesame oil & garlic
- egg made flat and cut into long strips

- takun - a Japanese yellow pickle
- crab - imitation crab
- bulgogi - Korean style meat
- julienne cucumbers

 

You want to make sure that your rice isn't too hot & too cold.  

Mix your rice with some sesame oil & seeds and spread out onto a piece of nori (seaweed).  

Roll them in a bamboo roller & voila!  

 

Verdict: He ate them, he ate them all & fast.  I thought for sure I would have leftovers! 

Bim Bim Bap

I love bim bim bap!  I was excited when my regular grocery store had bean sprout this week.  I immediately knew I wanted bim bim bap.  We also had spicy pork (will be a different recipe post) in our freezer, so it would be an easy dinner option.

 Recipe:
- Bean Sprouts
- Spinach
- Garlic
- Sesame Oil
- Sesame Seeds
- Hot Pepper Paste
- Eggs
- Cucumber Kimchi





This is my make shift bim bim bap.  Obviously there are other options for veggies, but this was all we had.  Both the spinach & bean sprouts were blanched and then marinated the same way.  First make sure they are squeezed fully from water.  Then marinate them both with salt, sesame oil, garlic.

In a bowl of rice add on top,  spinach, bean sprouts and cucumber kimchi.  Cook up some meat (recipe to follow).  Add an egg (I prefer over medium).  Mix it all up with some gochujang (korean red pepper paste).   

Verdict:
If you have these veggies around, and meat already made it's a real easy, staple dinner.  Otherwise, will take work to get all the ingredients together.  So plan ahead!

Kalbi Jim

I attempted to make Kalbi Jim.  We found short ribs at a local grocery store & the butcher cut them down into 2x2 pieces for me.  It's a bit time consuming to make, but luckily it doesn't have to be to exact times so it's pretty easy.


Recipe:
2  to 3 lbs of short ribs
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup sake
8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 carrots, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 potato cut into 2 inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks

First soak all the pieces of meat in cold water (fully immersed) in a pot.  Let the beef sit in the water for about 45 minutes.  This will drain the blood and is important.  Drain water.


After draining, slice into the beef across the grain but keeping the meat still attached to the bone.

Place the beef back into a pot and cover with water.  Bring the beef to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 45 minutes.  Drain the water & wash all the pieces of meat.  Rinse well. 

In a clean pot add the following:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup soy
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sesame oil
- 1/2 cup sake
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Heat over medium heat until simmering.  

Add all of your beef to the simmering liquid. Cook over medium low heat - turning occasionally and allowing different pieces of the beef to soak and cook in the liquid. Cook for 40 minutes or until the beef is tender.

Add onion, carrots and potato.

Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fully cooked, about 15 more minutes.

Verdict:
It was Marc's first time eating this and he quite enjoyed it.  It was a bit sweeter than I like, but I also used less meat than was asked for in the recipe (under 2lbs I used).  I would add less sugar next time.  It was pretty easy to make & will definitely make it again.

Bok Choy Cucumber Kimchi

Some reason, I crave kimchi all the time.  I want it with every meal, Korean food or not.  Since the closest Korean market is a drive away, it's not readily accessible in our house.  I now make this 'instant' kimchi that is constantly made ALL the time! 

Recipe:
Make into a paste with the following ingredients
- 1 Hot Pepper (serrano or jalapeno)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp apple vinegar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic
- 2 tbsp gochugaru
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds

In a large bowl, wash your bok choy thoroughly (about 5 small baby bok choys), 3 persian cucumbers (slice) and salt to get the water out.  You can also just use cucumber or just use bok choy.  Rinse them off, dry as best as possible and add the paste.  I also add in green onions and purple onions (sliced thinly).  Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and it's ready to eat!

Verdict:
A staple in every meal.  Even Marc loves it.  Buy a good fish sauce (my mom recommends the one with the 3 crabs on the bottle as it's the least fishy).  We love it.