Kimbap is Korean seaweed rice roll and this is actually one of my favorite things to eat! My recipe is 100% vegan and it's really fun to make right in your kitchen.Yield: 4 rolls (8 slices each, 32 slices total)
Preheat the oven at 400 °F (200 °C.) On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, place the tofu strips in a single layer then season with salt. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Flip them and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Take them out of the oven and set aside.
While baking tofu, start preparing rice. Prepare rice. Place rice in a large bowl. Pour water to cover the rice. Wash it with your hand moving in circular motion then quickly discard the water. Repeat the process for 5 to 6 times until water becomes clear. Drain well. Alternative way: Place rice in a fine mesh colander. Rinse under running water. Use a hand moving in circular motion to rinse thoroughly until water becomes clear. Drain well.
Transfer the rice to preferably a cast iron pot with a heavy lid or something similar. Pour water and make the rice leveled. cover with the lid. Cook over slightly higher than medium heat. In about 10-15 minutes, it starts almost boiling (you will see the bubbles.) At this point, open the lid and use a rice paddle to give a quick stir from the bottom. Make the rice leveled again then cover with the lid. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, turn off the heat. Keep the lid on and let it stand for 10 minutes.
Transfer the rice to a large prep bowl. Season with salt and toasted sesame oil. Fluff in folding/cutting motion. Cover with a towel, plate or plastic wrap (crack open for the moisture to escape a little) to keep it warm and set aside.
While the rice is cooking, start preparing all the fillings. To prepare the daikon & carrot filling, combine them in a prep bowl. Season with salt and sugar. Let it stand for 15-20 minutes. Squeeze the water out and transfer to another bowl. set aside.
Next, prepare the spinach filling. Heat up a frying pan at medium high heat. Add baby spinach and water. Cook until wilted down in volume. Transfer to a plate and let it cool down for 10-15 minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle, squeeze water. Then transfer to another bowl. Separate the leaves and season with toasted sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds and a few dashes of soy sauce. Mix well and set aside.
In a small bowl, add gochujang and water. Mix well and set aside.
Have all the ingredients ready in one place and start assembling. Place a nori sheet on a sushi rolling mat. Use a quarter of each ingredient to make one roll. Take the rice and spread onto the nori sheet. Make sure to leave 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) at the bottom and 3/4-inch (2 cm) at the top empty.
Next, spread out the daikon & carrot 1/2-inch (1 cm) above the bottom end of the rice, spread out the spinach above them, spread out the gochujang mixture between the daikon & carrot mixture and the spinach, then place the strips of tofu (trim to match the length if needed.) Start rolling from the bottom part.
Roll it once 1/3 of the way and press it firmly, then roll again another 1/3 way and press it firmly, the last roll is to seal the end. Slice the roll into 8 pieces.
Serve immediately at room temperature.
Notes
For the veggie fillings, make sure to squeeze the liquid enough so that they aren’t wet otherwise the roll will be soggy and fall apart.
Alternative to the baked tofu, you can pan-fry the tofu.
You can also use garlic powder for the baked tofu and garlic paste for the spinach.
While freshly made one taste at its best, you can wrap the leftovers in a plastic wrap, and transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge until next day.