I fell in love with kimbap during our trip to Seoul couple months ago. Ever since we returned from our Korea, I’ve been religiously making these Mayak Kimbap for my daughter’s lunch box and as a side dish for dinner. These are actually mini version of the classic kimbap found in Korean restaurants.
“Mayak” in Korean means “Narcotics” but please do not be alarmed, there is absolutely no drug substance in the ingredients. I can’t really explain why but the combination of the ingredients just make them really addictive, I guarantee you can’t just stop at one.
If you have not tried them before, I highly recommend you do. 
This original Mayak Kimbap recipe does not contain any meat but you could definitely add in strips of crabmeat, chicken, beef or fish cake to make them more substantial.
Ingredients:
For rice
2 cups cooked short grained rice (I’m using Japanese)
½ tbsp sesame oil
¼ tsp of salt
Few dashes furikaki (Japanese rice seasoning) – optional
Filling
3 oz (120 g) spinach
1 medium carrot – julienned
Strips of yellow pickled radish (danmuji)
Strips of seasoned burdock – optional
4 sheets dried roasted laver (seaweed sheets for kimbap)
2 cloves garlic – minced
Salt
Black pepper
Vegetable oil
Roasted sesame seeds for garnish
Dipping sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Serves 4
Recipe source: Crazy Korean Cooking
The line up.
Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce and set aside.
Season warm cooked rice with sesame oil, salt and furikaki (if using). Cover and set aside.
Blanch the spinach and boiling water for 20 secs and rinse under cold water.
Gentl squeeze out excess water and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Add in half of minced garlic, pinch of salt, 1 tsp sesame oil and mix well.
Cut the pickled radish and burdock into 2 inches thin strips. Mine came pre-cut.
I got this convenient pack from Korean supermarket.
In a frying pan, add in 1 tbsp vegetable oil and add in carrot and the rest of the minced garlic.
Fry under medium heat until softened. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Assemble all your ingredients at the counter.
Stack the roasted layer together and fold into half. Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut along the folded line. Fold into quarter and cut again. You should have 16 small square sheets.
Shiny side will face down on the cutting board.
Roughly divide the rice into 16 portions.
Take a sheet of roasted laver (shiny side facing down) and spread one portion of rice onto it, covering 2/3 of the laver. Stick a few grains of rice at the edges so the kimbap will be sealed tightly.
Place 1 strip pickled radish, 1 strip burdock, some carrots and spinach onto the rice.
Roll the kimbap and press down gently to secure it.
Repeat with the rest.
Before to serve, spread some sesame oil onto the surface of the kimbap and sprinkle some sesame seeds.
Serve with the dipping sauce.
you could cut them into small pieces.
serve with dipping sauce.
- For rice
- 2 cups cooked short grained rice (I’m using Japanese)
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp of salt
- Few dashes furikaki (Japanese rice seasoning) – optional
- Filling
- 3 oz (120 g) spinach
- 1 medium carrot – julienned
- Strips of yellow pickled radish (danmuji)
- Strips of pickled burdock – optional
- 4 sheets dried roasted laver (seaweed sheets for kimbap)
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Roasted sesame seeds for garnish
- Dipping sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce and set aside.
- Season warm cooked rice with sesame oil, salt and furikaki (if using). Cover and set aside.
- Blanch the spinach and boiling water for 20 secs and rinse under cold water.
- Gentl squeeze out excess water and transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add in half of minced garlic, pinch of salt, 1 tsp sesame oil and mix well.
- Cut the pickled radish and burdock into 2 inches thin strips. Mine came pre-cut.
- In a frying pan, add in 1 tbsp vegetable oil and add in carrot and the rest of the minced garlic.
- Fry under medium heat until softened. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Assemble all your ingredients at the counter.
- Stack the roasted layer together and fold into half. Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut along the folded line. Fold into quarter and cut again. You should have 16 small square sheets.
- Roughly divide the rice into 16 portions.
- Take a sheet of roasted laver (shiny side facing down) and spread one portion of rice onto it, covering ⅔ of the laver. Stick a few grains of rice at the edges so the kimbap will be sealed tightly.
- Place 1 strip pickled radish, 1 strip burdock, some carrots and spinach onto the rice.
- Roll the kimbap and press down gently to secure it.
- Repeat with the rest.
- Before to serve, spread some sesame oil onto the surface of the kimbap and sprinkle some sesame seeds.
- Serve with the dipping sauce.
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