Abundant Abalone Kimbap: A Healthy and Flavorful Rice Roll
[Low-Sodium Rice Dish] Abalone Kimbap Bursting with Flavor
This kimbap recipe allows you to truly savor the natural taste of abalone without heavy seasoning. Experience the ocean’s freshness in every bite.
Ingredients- 5 sheets of dried seaweed for kimbap
- Pickled radish (danmuji) slices, optional
- 4-5 eggs
- 3 fresh abalones
- Abalone innards (from 3 abalones)
- 1 to 1.5 cups of rice (or mixed grains)
- A little cooking oil
- A pinch of salt (for egg mixture)
- Generous amount of sesame oil
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Thoroughly scrub the fresh abalones to clean them. Carefully separate the abalone meat from the shell and also collect the innards. Slice the abalone meat thinly. In a pot, add the abalone innards and about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil. Sauté over low heat until fragrant. (Be careful not to burn the innards.)
Step 2
Add the pre-rinsed and drained rice (or mixed grains) to the pot with the sautéed abalone innards. Stir well to combine. Sauté for about 1-2 minutes until the rice is coated with the innards’ oil for a richer flavor. Then, add water, slightly less than you would for regular rice (about 90% of the rice volume).
Step 3
Generously add the thinly sliced abalone meat on top of the sautéed rice. The abalone will cook along with the rice. Transfer this mixture to your rice cooker and cook as you normally would to prepare the abalone rice.
Step 4
Your delicious abalone rice is now cooked! You can sense the fragrant essence of abalone infused into each grain of rice.
Step 5
While the rice is still warm, add 1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil and gently mix it in with a rice paddle, being careful not to mash the rice grains. This coats the grains, making the abalone rice even more fragrant and glossy.
Step 6
Crack 4-5 eggs into a bowl, add a tiny pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Lightly oil a heated frying pan and pour in the beaten eggs. Cook over low heat to make an egg omelet (tamagoyaki). Since this is for kimbap, make it about 3-4 layers thick rather than excessively thick.
Step 7
Place a sheet of kimbap seaweed on a bamboo rolling mat. Spread the prepared abalone rice thinly and evenly over about two-thirds of the seaweed. Be mindful not to spread the rice too thickly, as it can cause the kimbap to burst or be difficult to roll. Place the prepared egg omelet lengthwise onto the rice. (If you have a rectangular kimbap mold, it makes shaping much easier.)
Step 8
Now it’s time to roll the kimbap. Using the bamboo mat, roll the seaweed tightly, enclosing the filling. You can moisten the edge of the seaweed with a few grains of rice to help it seal. Roll firmly while using the mat to shape the kimbap.
Step 9
Once the kimbap is rolled, slice it into bite-sized pieces. Lightly wetting your knife with water or a bit of cooking oil will prevent the rice from sticking, allowing for cleaner cuts. Slice into pieces about 1.5 to 2 cm thick.
Step 10
With plenty of abalone innards and fresh abalone, the rice itself delivers a deep oceanic flavor. Adding the soft egg omelet creates a visually appealing and savory abalone kimbap, a truly nutritious and fortifying meal! It’s especially wonderful because you can fully appreciate the abalone’s natural taste without needing strong or salty seasonings. (To best enjoy the delicate flavor of abalone, cooking the rice with minimal seasoning is key!)
