Smiling Face Gimbap (Smile Gimbap)
Smiling Face Gimbap (Smile Gimbap)
Made adorable Smile Gimbap for a kindergarten picnic lunchbox! 🙂
Here’s how to make easy and simple Smile Gimbap^^ It’s a fun and visually appealing dish that kids will love!
Gimbap Ingredients- 2 sheets of dried seaweed for gimbap
- 2 frankfurter sausages
- 2 bowls of cooked rice (standard adult rice bowl size)
Rice Seasoning- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 3 pinches of salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 3 pinches of salt (adjust to taste)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s prepare the seasoned rice, which is key to the gimbap’s flavor. Prepare 2 bowls of cooked rice (about 2 standard adult rice bowls, not overflowing). Add 3 pinches of salt and 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Gently mix with a spatula, being careful not to mash the rice grains. Since this gimbap mainly contains frankfurters and rice, seasoning the rice slightly saltier will complement the sausage flavor perfectly. Feel free to adjust the saltiness according to your preference.
Step 2
While the seasoned rice cools down a bit, prepare the main ingredient: 2 frankfurter sausages. Slice each sausage lengthwise in half. This will form the smiling mouth of your gimbap when rolled and cut.
Step 3
Place the halved frankfurters into boiling water and blanch them briefly. Boiling for about 1 minute will give them a firm texture and remove any impurities.
Step 4
Remove the blanched sausages from the water and place them on paper towels to thoroughly dry. Excess moisture can make the gimbap soggy.
Step 5
Cut the gimbap seaweed sheets in half lengthwise. This size is ideal for making smile gimbap.
Step 6
On the cut half-sheet of seaweed, spread the seasoned rice evenly, leaving about one-third of the sheet uncovered at one end. This uncovered part will help seal the roll. Don’t spread the rice too thick, or the gimbap might burst when rolled.
Step 7
Now, let’s create the face for the smile gimbap. About one and a half finger-widths from one end of the rice-covered area, place a small mound of rice. Shape it into a rounded form. This will be the base for the ‘smile’.
Step 8
After forming the rounded rice base for the face, place a piece of the halved frankfurter sausage lengthwise on top of it. Gently press the sausage into the rice to secure it.
Step 9
Now, roll the gimbap just like you would a regular one, enclosing the sausage and rice. Apply a little bit of mashed rice or water to the uncovered edge of the seaweed to act as glue and seal the roll firmly. Press gently as you roll to maintain a nice shape.
Step 10
Once rolled, slice the gimbap. Each slice will reveal a smiling face! For cleaner cuts, you can lightly dampen your knife with water or oil before slicing to prevent the rice from sticking.
Step 11
Finally, to complete the adorable smile gimbap, dot on two or three black sesame seeds for the eyes! If you don’t have black sesame seeds, you can also cut small eye shapes from a piece of seaweed. The position of the sesame seeds can change the gimbap’s expression, making it fun to experiment with different looks!
