Spicy Fish Cake Kimbap: A Flavorful Delight
Kimchi and Spicy Fish Cake Kimbap – An Addictive Flavor! Perfect for Lunchboxes or Pantry-Clearing Meals.
This kimbap is made by combining leftover stir-fried fish cake and kimchi with sweet plum pickles and wild garlic pickles for an incredibly delicious taste. It’s spicy, sweet, and sour all at once – a flavor you can’t stop! It’s also a fantastic ‘pantry-clearing’ meal. Enjoy this irresistible kimbap!
Kimbap Ingredients
- 3 sheets of kimbap seaweed (gim)
- 420g cooked rice (approx. 2 bowls)
- 4 eggs
- 135g canned tuna, drained
- 270g well-fermented kimchi
- 1/2 onion
- 200g square fish cakes
- 30g wild garlic pickles
- 40g sweet plum pickles
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
Rice Seasoning
- 2 pinches of salt
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
Tuna Kimchi Stir-fry Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp sliced garlic
- 2 Tbsp perilla oil
- 0.5 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp chopped green onions
Spicy Fish Cake Stir-fry Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp sliced garlic
- 0.5 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 0.5 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsp oligosaccharide
- 0.5 Tbsp soy sauce
- 0.5 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp perilla oil
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp chopped green onions
- 2 pinches of salt
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
Tuna Kimchi Stir-fry Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp sliced garlic
- 2 Tbsp perilla oil
- 0.5 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp chopped green onions
Spicy Fish Cake Stir-fry Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp sliced garlic
- 0.5 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 0.5 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsp oligosaccharide
- 0.5 Tbsp soy sauce
- 0.5 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp perilla oil
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp chopped green onions
- 1 Tbsp sliced garlic
- 0.5 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 0.5 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsp oligosaccharide
- 0.5 Tbsp soy sauce
- 0.5 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp perilla oil
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp chopped green onions
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s prepare the spicy stir-fried fish cake that will be a filling for our kimbap. Slice the square fish cakes into strips about 0.5 cm wide and 5 cm long. Blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes; this step removes excess oil and any unpleasant taste, resulting in a cleaner flavor. After blanching, drain the fish cakes thoroughly on a colander.
Step 2
Heat a pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of perilla oil. Sauté 1 tablespoon of sliced garlic until fragrant, creating a garlic-infused oil. Once the garlic aroma is released, add all the prepared ‘Spicy Fish Cake Stir-fry Seasoning’ ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then add the sliced fish cakes. Stir-fry until the sauce thickens and coats the fish cakes evenly. Turn off the heat and quickly mix in 1 tablespoon each of sesame oil, sesame seeds, and chopped green onions. Your delicious spicy fish cake stir-fry is ready! It’s also a fantastic side dish on its own.
Step 3
Next, let’s prepare the ingredients for the tuna kimchi stir-fry, which will add a savory depth to the kimbap. To drain the canned tuna, place the lid on at an angle and tilt the can to let the oil drain out completely. If your kimchi is in large pieces, chop it into manageable sizes, about 1 cm wide, so it’s easy to eat in the kimbap. Thinly slice the onion as well.
Step 4
Heat a pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of perilla oil. Sauté 1 tablespoon of sliced garlic for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the drained tuna and sliced kimchi, and stir-fry together for 1 minute. Then, add the sliced onion, 0.5 tablespoon of gochujang, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Increase the heat to high and stir-fry quickly until most of the liquid has evaporated. Be sure to stir-fry the onion just enough to retain a slight crispness.
Step 5
Turn off the heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, and 1 tablespoon of chopped green onions. Mix well until everything is combined. This tuna kimchi stir-fry is now ready, offering a delightful spicy and sweet flavor. It makes a great lunchbox side dish too.
Step 6
Now, let’s make the egg omelets. In a bowl, whisk together 4 eggs with a pinch of salt. Heat a non-stick pan over low heat and add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Pour in half of the egg mixture to create a thin omelet. Once the surface of the egg appears set and no longer wet, do not flip it. Carefully slide it onto a plate to cool. Repeat this process to make a total of two thin egg omelets. Making them thin ensures they fit nicely in the kimbap without making it too bulky.
Step 7
Prepare the pickles that will add a refreshing tang. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the wild garlic pickles by hand. Have the sweet plum pickles ready as well.
Step 8
While the rice is still warm, season it by mixing in 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, and 2 pinches of salt. Use a spatula to gently combine the ingredients, being careful not to mash the rice grains. Let the seasoned rice cool down slightly before rolling the kimbap. If the rice is too hot, it can cause the seaweed (gim) to become soggy and wrinkled, resulting in a less-than-perfect kimbap. Slightly warm rice is ideal for rolling.
Step 9
It’s time to assemble the kimbap! Place a sheet of kimbap seaweed (gim) on a bamboo rolling mat, with the shiny side down and the rough side facing up. To create a longer kimbap, overlap half a sheet of gim along the edge of a full sheet. Put on disposable gloves – this prevents the rice from sticking to your hands. Spread the seasoned rice thinly and evenly over the seaweed, leaving a small border at the top. Place one of the prepared egg omelets on top of the rice. Wearing gloves makes spreading the rice much easier.
Step 10
Arrange the squeezed wild garlic pickles over the egg omelet. Then, add a generous portion of the tuna kimchi stir-fry and the sweet plum pickles. Finally, add the spicy fish cake stir-fry. Be mindful not to overfill the kimbap, as this can cause it to break when rolled. Start rolling from the edge closest to you, lifting the bamboo mat and tucking the fillings in tightly. Roll it all the way to the end, pressing gently to shape the kimbap.
Step 11
Once the kimbap is rolled, brush a little sesame oil over the surface for a glossy finish. To slice the kimbap cleanly, you can lightly dampen a kimbap knife or a regular knife with water or coat it with a little sesame oil. This prevents the rice from sticking to the blade. Use a gentle sawing motion, like using a saw, to slice through the kimbap. This technique will give you neat, intact pieces of kimbap.
Step 12
And there you have it! Your delicious Kimchi and Spicy Fish Cake Kimbap, bursting with a delightful spicy, sweet, and sour flavor. This kimbap is sure to awaken your appetite. Enjoy every bite!
