Kimbap and Tofu Bento Box
Today’s featured bento box contains kimbap… an extra fancy kimbap with hot dog! At first glance kimbap resembles a Japanese futomaki (fat roll sushi). But kimbap is Korean, kim or gim is the seaweed sheet and bap is the rice; assembled and rolled up in similar fashion to the more widely known sushi, but the flavors are very different.
Kimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and salt and filled with pretty much anything you want but usually with egg, spinach, cooked meat and carrots. It’s home cooking, a comfort food which captures all the savory flavors of Korean cuisine. One bite and you will taste the difference. It’s not saying it’s better, just different because I also enjoy a fat sushi roll with it’s mild vinegar and dashi flavor. And I’m not trying to be politically correct by not picking one or the other. I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite because let’s face it… I love rice and if I didn’t care about the carb overload, I’d eat sushi for lunch and kimbap for dinner (or vice versa).
Also, it’s worth repeating that sushi or kimbap, if made with raw fish should NEVER be packed for an “eat later” bento lunch.
Saba Man’s bento box has kimbap that’s filled with simmered carrots and spinach, egg omelette, “krab”, fish cake, pickled daikon, and hot dog! Yes, it does look like there a lot of kimbap in the box. There’s a whole roll… 12 pieces! But under closer inspection, you’ll notice that there’s more filling than rice so overall he’d only be eating about a cup of rice.
If you’d like to make your own kimbap use 1 teaspoon of really good sesame oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each 1 cup of cooked rice. For the fillings,ou can pretty much use any thing you’d like but it’s better to stay with traditional items to keep the Korean flavors intact. Your best bets are: julienned carrots and cucumbers, egg omelette, fish cake, pickled radish and bulgogi (Korean BBQ beef ). When I make kimbap for my vegetarian self, I like to include egg, spinach and julienned cabbage kimchi! I haven’t yet, but want to try it with brown rice too.
Are you thinking of kimbap for a future bento box? If so, what kind of filings would you add to your kimbap? If you already enjoy kimbap and pack bento boxes with it, we’d like to see! Add a link to your photo in the comments and share!
The other foods in today’s bento are fried tofu (simmered in soy, onions and garlic), OSP-Okinawan sweet potato (which reminds me to add a glossary to the blog), and small heirloom tomatoes!
That looks wonderful!!! I would love to make a BBQ beef kimbap, but sadly I am all thumbs when it comes to rolling sushi! Beautiful sushi bento.
I’ve seen Kimbap in korean grocery stores and korean restaurants before. But I didn’t realize that they taste very different from the japanese sibling. I have to definitely try them next time I come across. Your kimbap has loads of fillings. Awesome:)
Hi Susan- hehehe, me too, it took a few years before I got the hang of it. Give it another try!
Hi Tana- Yes, please try some the next time you come across some FRESHLY made kimbap. Like sushi, be wary of old rice, etc. Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words.
Nice & yummy kimbab!! … Pickle daikon it seems always in every kimbab. Wondering whether this make a quite distinction between sushi and kimbab hehehe
Whoa, kimbap in my face!! Guess what? I had some today too, how funny
Cool deep shot of a really neat bento! Like this one a lot ! Another tin?
Ah, now I finally know the difference between kimbap and sushi. Thank’s for your tutorial. It sounds interesting. I hope I will have the chance to try some kimbap in the future ^.^
So informative! Love the idea of an egg, spinach and kimchi version–that’s a winner. Lovely looking kimbap!
I hope all of you go out and eat some kimbap immediately!
sheri- No, not a new tin. It’s one of the repurposed holiday tin. I like it’s capacity and may continue to use it regardless of the Christmas pattern on the cover.
looks great! do you usually pack bentos with chopsticks or a fork?
Hi allie, Thank you and welcome to our blog! I pack only chopsticks for my bento and both chopsticks and fork/spoon for Saba Man.