Schools have started all over the country, and back to school means back to making lunches early in the morning! That first week of preparing lunches is super hard – thinking of what to make for the kids firstly, then ensuring that all the groceries are there for the lunches, next – pre-prepare anything required so that the mornings are easy to package the lunches.
What is Kimbap?
Kimbap is a Korean Seaweed Rice Roll that may seem similar to sushi but it is not. Kimbap has pickled daikon, ham, eggs, meats, and veggies or any other items that you may like.
Foldable Kimbap
I saw the foldable kimbap trending on Tiktok, where they make the kimbap by layering 4 sections of a nori with eggs, spam, carrots, and rice, or items of your own selection. Then they make a slit in the middle, until the center and fold each fold on top of one another to create a packet. The foldable kimbap came about because of the difficulty in rolling the normal kimbap.
Since this would be such an easy and filling lunch for my kids, I decided to make a foldable kimbap for them for lunch. I even make extras and keep them as an after school snack.
The kids feel satiated and are able to get on with their homework and other activities without any fuss. It is important to feed kids nourishing foods, so that their brains can function – just like us as adults! We all need the fuel!
Contents of the Foldable Kimbap
Rice
The rice that I typically use is sushi rice linked here. It is really sticky and good and works perfectly in this kimbap. I season it with toasted sesame oil – that is traditionally used in kimbap.
Vegetables
Use any vegetables that you like. Typically lightly cooked carrots are used, and pickled diakon. I have a Korean colleague who was telling me all about the kimbap and how they traditionally eat it. I have been putting cucumbers and avocado in my kids kimbap, giving it the Californian touch!
Protein
My kids are vegetarian so I add tofu in their kimbaps. I marinate the sliced tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, gochujang, and grill it on the pan for a few minutes, until lightly charred. I get the hard tofu since it holds it’s shape overnight till they go to school and are ready for lunch time. You could use spam or any meats of your choice.
Eggs
I have seen cooked eggs in kimbaps, but since I already put tofu in the kimbap, I skip the eggs in mine.
Sauces
Typically there are no sauces, but my kids have been loving the Japanese mayo, linked here. It is SO good and you really do not require anything else. My daughter does like Sriracha – a touch of heat in her kimbap. We Indians do like our heat and spiciness! My son however likes teriyaki sauce and mayo in his! Ok this is by no means traditional but live and let live!
Sesame seeds and furikake
I love adding black sesame seeds and furikake on the kimbaps too for added flavor.
Nori sheets
And finally all the above ingredients are placed on sushi nori sheets which you can get at any asian supermarket or I have linked it here.
Tips for making the Foldable Kimbap
- Oil your hands before you work with the sushi rice, since it is quite sticky.
- The four squares are for four different fillings. Do not overstuff each square else it will be difficult to fold it properly.
- Also when adding each stuffing, be sure to have an even thin layer, so that it is easy to fold it over.
- All the tofu slices should be as equal in size as possible, again so that when you layer it on the nori it is easy to fold over.
- Fold the plastic wrap tightly over the folded kimbap so that it stays in place. Cover in aluminum foil so that it is transportable to school.
Now I know this is not traditional, so please do not come after me! My kids love all kinds of Asian cuisines, from Chinese to Japanese, Indonesian to Thai, to Korean. I customize it to their tastes and likes and at the same time introducing them to new cultures and foods.
Being vegetarian I do have to find ways to substitute the meat with tofu, fish oil with none, and so on and so forth. In the end, I know my kids are getting healthy, delicious, nourishing, home cooked meals and that is what matters to me the most!
Can I make the Foldable Kimbap the night before taking it to school or work?
Yes you can make the Foldable Kimbap the night before, and store in the fridge. It does not need to be warmed up and can be eaten at room temperature.
Do I have to eat it all in one sitting?
Yes, since it is fragile, it needs to be eaten in one seating.
What size of the nori wraps should I get for the Foldable Kimbap?
Nori wraps or sheets are available at Amazon. Or you can get them at any Asian grocery store.
Where can I get furikake from?
Furikake is available on Amazon. There is furikake with bonito flakes which are fish dried skin flakes, so be sure to get a vegan one. I have linked one here.
Other school meals that your kids can take for school lunches are:
- Schezwan Tofu Fried Rice
- Easy Eggplant and Zucchini Bhajia Fritters Sandwich
- Vegan Fresh Spring Rolls
- Beetroot Tikkis
If you do make this recipe, please do not forget to tag #thejamlab and/or leave a comment on this blog post!
XO
Amisha
Foldable Kimbap
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice or sushi rice
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Tofu Marinade
- Firm Tofu block, cut into half horizontally, and each block sliced into 4 slices. (total 8 slices)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 4 teaspoons of neutral oil
Foldable Kimbap
- 3 avocados, cut in half, skin removed and sliced thin vertically
- 1 persian cucumber, cut into thin slices horizontally
- Kewpie mayo
- Sriracha
- Teriyaki sauce
- Sesame seeds
- Furikake
- Nori wraps
Get Recipe Ingredients
Method
- Make the sushi rice per instructions with water and toasted sesame oil. Once cooked, let rice cool.
Make the marinade for the tofu
- Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, and gochujang in a bowl until combined.
- In a large plate, lay the tofu slices, and pour the marinade mixture over the tofu. Flip the tofu on the other side to ensure that the marinade is all over. Set aside for 10 minutes. Flip again and set aside for another 10 minutes.
- In a medium skillet, on medium heat, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil. After a minute, add 4 tofu slices, along with half of the marinade into the skillet. Let tofu cook on the bottom side. Flip after about 3 minutes, and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side. Remove from the pan and set it aside on a plate.
- Repeat with the remaining tofu slices. Let cool completely.
- Set all the ingredients, ready to go.
Foldable Kimbap
- Place plastic wrap on a wooden board. Place the nori wrap, and cut it in the middle, up until the center of the wrap (not all the way through). You want to be able to put 4 different ingredients in each of the 4 squares.
- Oil your hands ever so slightly so you can work with the rice.
- Place about 2 to 3 tablespoons of rice each, in the bottom left square, and the right square.Spread with your fingers to flatten it as much as possible and fill out the square, leaving a gap on the top(for the folds).
- Drizzle the kewpie mayo on the bottom left, over the rice. Drizzle sriracha or Teriyaki seasoning on top. Sprinkle furikake seasoning and sesame seeds.
- Add a tofu piece on the top left. Add more tofu depending upto the space left.
- Place avocado slices on the top right.
- Place cucumber slices on top of the bottom right rice.
- Using the bottom left, fold it over to the top left. Next fold the top left to the top right, and then the top right to the bottom right, to form a package. Cover with the plastic wrap tightly. Cut in half. Place in an aluminum foil for the school lunches.
Notes
Can I make the Foldable Kimbap the night before taking it to school or work?
- Yes you can make the Foldable Kimbap the night before, and store in the fridge. It does not need to be warmed up and can be eaten at room temperature.
Do I have to eat it all in one sitting?
- Yes, since it is fragile, it needs to be eaten in one seating.
What size of the nori wraps should I get for the Foldable Kimbap?
- Nori wraps or sheets are available at Amazon. Or you can get them at any Asian grocery store.
Where can I get furikake from?
- Furikake is available on Amazon. There is furikake with bonito flakes which are fish dried skin flakes, so be sure to get a vegan one. I have linked one here.
