Simple & Easy Kimbap | Recipe

How long has it been since I made a recipe post on the blog? The last recipe I published was my stir fried tofu and broccoli, which was in January of last year!

During my time off social media, I decided to follow a sudden craving, and create my version of kimbap! I'm not claiming this to be traditional or authentic to the Korean staple, but I can vouch that this was absolutely delicious. Using a combination of fresh and cooked veg was a good shout, and it's such a versatile dish to suit to your own needs, which is one of the best things about Asian cooking!

If you like meat, you can add meat. If you're vegan, just take out the eggs, or add your favourite veggies. I loved this recipe because it was so fresh and didn't take up any time at all!

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups rice

4 sheets of seaweed (gim/nori)

2 eggs

1 medium carrot

1/2 cucumber

Lettuce

Optional; sesame seeds and sesame oil

METHOD

1. So the first thing to do is cook your rice. Please rinse the rice thoroughly about 3 or 4 times to remove the starch and ensure the final product is sticky enough to hold all the ingredients together. This is the first place my kimbap isn't traditional at all; I only had medium grain white rice on hand, and was not feeling the trek across campus to buy short grain, but luckily it turned out just fine! When you rinse the rice thoroughly, add enough water to cover it and cook it until all the water has dried up. When the water has dried up, switch off the heat and leave it to steam in the pot until all the other ingredients are prepped.

2. As the rice is cooking, fry the eggs. Whisk them in a bowl with some salt to taste and fry them in a thin layer a bit at a time. When the bottom is cooked, roll one side to the other using a spatula or chopsticks and add a bit more mixture and cook in the same fashion; rolling the cooked egg from one side to the opposite side and allowing the mixture to flow to the underside so it adheres. Repeat until all the mixture has been used up and the end result is egg. We're going for a tamagoyaki style that we'll cut into strips that are the same length as the nori sheet.

3. For the cucumber, you can either peel it or keep the skin on (I kept mine on!), but just make sure to cut them into thin strips that fit the same length as the nori sheet. Also be sure to scoop out the seeds so the kimbap isn't wet or moist!

4. Prepare the carrot by peeling and slicing into thin matchsticks. When they're cut, fry them in a bit of oil, and add some salt to taste. Don't fry them so they're soft and limp - they should be soft but still have a crunch to them. This should take 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Place the cooked rice into a bowl and season with some salt to taste. This will also help cool it down slightly before we begin rolling. Also optional is adding sesame seeds and sesame oil at this step. When this is done, you're ready to start rolling!

6. If you have a bamboo mat, it can make rolling the kimbap 10x easier, but if you don't have one on hand don't sweat it! Place a sheet of nori (shiny side down) on the bamboo mat and spread some rice in a thin layer on the bottom 2/3 of the sheet.

7. Add your ingredients in an even layer; 2 leaves of lettuce, a strip of egg, some carrot, and a strip of cucumber. Roll the seaweed by using the bamboo mat (if you don't have one, it's fine!), but make sure to roll the seaweed tightly and firmly. Once it has been rolled up, set it aside and repeat steps 6 and 7 for the other ingredients. 

8. Once all the ingredients have been used up, it's time to cut the kimbap. Optionally, you can spread some sesame oil on the kimbap, but I didn't have any on hand so I skipped this step. Wet the sharpest knife you have either in sesame oil or water, and cut the kimbap in even, bitesize pieces, and you're done!

You can serve the kimbap as it is. Traditionally, it is eaten on picnics, but I had mine with some ramen and enjoyed it all the same. Dipping in mayo or soy sauce is another tasty option I'd totally recommend!

Other alternatives I want to try out are: bulgogi kimbap, and tuna kimbap! It's so versatile and you can add any ingredients you have on hand. 

It's best eaten on the day you prepared it, but it can also be stored at room temperature and eaten the next day!

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Stir Fried Tofu & Broccoli | Recipe

I love any dish that's quick and easy, and I'm sure you guys all know that too based on my previous recipes. This one is so simple and was done in under 30 minutes, and I'm so happy with how it turned out!

Tofu is a big part of my diet now and because it's cheap and available everywhere, I'm able to eat it as much as I want! 

This recipe can include any vegetables you'd like, I just used what looked good at the market that day and it happened to be broccoli and bok choy. 

Now, I didn't use any measurements, I did this all by eye so I'll give rough estimates of what I used!

You'll need:
2.5 cup cooked tofu
1 cup broccoli
1 head of bok choy
2 cloves of garlic
1 green chili
1tbsp oyster sauce
1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
1.5 tbsp ketchup
Salt
Black pepper

Now onto the recipe!

First of all, if you can't find pre-cooked tofu, then half a block is fine. Over here, tofu is sold pre-fried so that's just what I get. If you're using the block, then first squeeze as much water out by putting a weight on top of it, like a can of beans, for 30 minutes.

Chop it into cubes and coat in some corn flour to get it crispy once you fry. Frying it is so simple, just heat a bit of oil in a pan and place your tofu pieces in there and cook until they're brown on all sides. Then drain them on a paper towel to get rid of the excess oil and set aside.

Now, boil your broccoli and bok choy for around 3 minutes, just until the broccoli is cooked through but still crunchy. Drain out any excess water and begin frying in a bit of oil with your chopped garlic and chili. If you don't like spice, then you can leave it out!

Fry for 2 minutes, then add your soy sauce, oyster sauce and ketchup and mix together. Add in your cooked tofu and a splash of water to make it a bit more soupy. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste.

Mix everything together about a minute and then you're done! You can add more water if you don't want it too dry, or you can leave it the way it is. I've seen some recipes that call for sugar, honey or syrup, but I think ketchup adds that sweetness just fine too!

Serve it with rice and you've got yourself a meal!

I'll see you in the next one!

Chickpea & Spinach Curry | Recipe

Not long ago, I woke up craving chickpeas - which is definitely not something you hear everyday.

When I'm feeling like this, there are two recipes that I go for; curry or falafel, and 9 times out of 10, I will definitely go for a curry. 

I already have a curry recipe up on the blog (you can read it here!), but this one is going to be even more easy by just using one core ingredient; chickpeas!

Chicken Vermicelli | Recipe

I love a recipe that is so easy to make, and I'm sure you know this based on my previous recipes. The other day, my parents went grocery shopping and came back with some vermicelli noodles. I have always been scared of cooking with them because the first time I tried to cook with them, the dish ended up being a mushy mess!

So I like to avoid it at all costs, but when they came with it from the supermarket, I went over to good ol' Pinterest and got some ideas for what I could do with them. After a while, I found this delicious recipe!

Tofu Fried Rice | Recipe

Hi everyone! Today I'm sharing one of my go-to recipes that I make when I'm hungry and need something filling and tasty - fried rice! I know I've been on a health kick recently, but sometimes I just crave something a little on the unhealthy side. However I do still try to make my fried rice as healthy as possible, and I'm going to share the recipe with you all today!

Vegan Vegetable Curry | Recipe

 
Today's post is one of my favourite curry recipes; it's fragrant, super easy, and best of all, it's vegan! I have been trying to incorporate more plant-based meals into my diet and this recipe is definitely one of my favourites!

Cinnamon Rolls | Recipe

I don't think anything encapsulates the smell of Christmas quite like cinnamon, which is why I've got a very easy recipe here for cinnamon rolls! Baking during Christmas is one of my favourite activities and making cinnamon rolls is one of the things I look forward to because having one of these in the morning with a cup of tea is seriously one of the best things ever, especially during winter because they just seem to taste even more special!