Spam Kimbap is what you need! A delicious Korean-style sushi roll filled with warm rice, spam meat, spinach, yellow pickled radish, egg, and carrots. Kimbap is great for picnic day, a kid lunch box, a fantastic game-day snack, and as a grab-and-go meal any time of the day!
Lately, I’ve been really into Korean food. I’m starting to lose an idea of what to make for my kid’s lunch box. He wants something practical yet pretty or at least appealing. Moreover, as a picky eater, he really refuses to eat veggies. So, I really need to think deeper and smarter to make him eat a balanced nutrition. Fortunately, thank God for giving me the opportunity while I was watching K-drama this kimbap really inspires me. I’ve been enjoying exploring different dishes, reading about them, and cooking them. Learning about new cuisines is one of my favorite things to do.
Everything about Kimbap
Anyway, kimbap is a popular picnic food in Korea. “The literal translation of kimbap is [dried roasted seaweed rice],” the word “‘Kim’ means dried roasted seaweed, and ‘bap’ means rice. It is one of the most popular and loved foods in Korea. Essentially, you can put anything inside the kimbap, such as different types of meat, sausage, or tuna, and any vegetables you have on hand.
A traditional kimbap roll contains fish cake, crab sticks, perilla leaves, pickled daikon, pickled burdock, seasoned spinach, and carrots wrapped in gim. Nowadays, some people even like to put cheese in their kimbap! Also, because kimbap is a very convenient and easily portable food, it is often taken as a packed meal for picnics or for lunch, another similarity to sandwiches. It’s one of Korea’s soul foods
Meanwhile, SPAM is a brand of canned meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation. It was first introduced in 1937 and has since become one of the most well-known and iconic canned meat products in the world. SPAM is made from a combination of meat, ham, beef, and others but mostly pork. as of today, SPAM has many varieties of canned meat including the halal version, and don’t worry I use beef SPAM in this recipe since I do not eat pork. SPAM really expanding right now and easily be found in many grocery stores.
Spam Kimbap isn’t hard to make, but it does require a little math and preparation. But, once you finish everything then you are ready to go and you will have some stocks. These are wonderful in a packed lunch or even at a picnic, not least because they travel beautifully. Let’s cook!
What Inside Spam Kimbap
For the condiments of kimbap, you will need;
- Egg add a pinch of salt, – you can either fry it whole or scramble it into an omelet. I prefer an omelet because it’s easier to fold in the kimbap.
- Carrot; choose a large Carrot peeled and julienned and then add a pinch of salt
- Spinach; Spinach adds Salt and sesame oil, We need at least one veggie, so we don’t feel bad about eating only carbs and meat. I gently stir-fry the spinach to bring out its vibrant green color
- Rice; I use steamed white rice add salt and sesame oil. You can use sushi rice too it can be made easier when you mix them, For kimbap, you’ll want to cook the rice a tad bit drier than normal because it’ll be mixed with seasonings which will cause it to become gummy and broken if the rice is just rice.
Other Ingredients
- Spam luncheon meat; is the highlight ingredient for this recipe. You can find this SPAM almost in every grocery store. It’s salty and super savory. It can be your preferred luncheon meat. I used the light sodium Beef Spam, so of course it’s a halal-friendly😉
- Gim roasted dry seaweed sheet; for rolling the kimbap and later used to wrap the kimbap; “Gim” is also known as roasted seaweed in Korean. Gim is very similar to a nori sheet in Japanese cuisine. Kimbap is one of those easy meals that are fun to make and are so tasty thanks to the well-seasoned components.
- Danmuji yellow pickle radish; this is characteristic of Korean kimbap and what makes it different from sushi rice in Japan, if you don’t really like pickles you can choose cucumber or red onion
- Roasted Sesame Seed; as garnish and also for a prettier look
- Sesame Oil; for brushing in kimbap rolls
How to Make Spam Kimbap
Although it looks like a lot of steps and can look intimidating, kimbap is actually really easy to make. There are just a few steps to follow for each ingredient so that your kimbap rolls are as tasty and aesthetic as possible. First, we prepare and cook all the condiments including egg, carrot, and spinach. Then prepare yellow radish and white cooked rice and lastly assemble everything in a bamboo roll to make kimbap. If you already making the pre-preparation before it will be so much easier and quicker. But let’s start from the beginning here;
Spinach
First, boil water in a pot/pan over medium heat. Once the water is boiling, blanch the spinach until the leave turns vibrant green. Strain immediately. Second, transfer it to a mixing bowl then season the spinach with salt and sesame oil. Set aside.
Egg
For egg; first, in a bowl, beat egg and salt. Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat, pour half of the beaten egg then cook until 70-80% set, fold the egg from one side, about 2 inches until halfway, pull the egg then pour the rest of the egg mixture where the egg is not folded. Second, repeat the process until all the egg is rolled up. Last, turn off the heat then set it aside and let it cool. Once the rolled egg is cooled, cut it lengthwise into 5 strips.
Carrot
In the same pan, heat oil over medium heat then cook julienned carrot with salt until tender and turns vibrant. Lastly, set aside.
Spam
What you need to do is; cut spam into 10 thick strips. Next, fry the spam until both side turns golden brown over medium-high heat. Set aside and let it cool.
Note; Just use a little oil when searing Spam. some fat will also result from the Spam. So if needed, you can use some paper towel to soak up excess fat/oil from the pan.
Rice (Cooked Rice)
First thing first, pluff up the freshly made rice and either keep it in its cooking vessel or transfer it into a large mixing bowl. Next, season with fine salt and sesame oil. Then, re-fluff the rice to evenly distribute the salt and sesame oil. Make sure to keep it warm and covered until ready to assemble kimbap rolls. Lastly, mix well and set aside.
Assemble Spam Kimbap
- Lay gim/ seaweed on the sushi roll mat, spread seasoned rice into a thin layer on top of the gim, and leave about 1 inch empty at the end.
- Place a strip of the egg at the center, followed by a strip of spam at the side of the egg, and top it with carrot and spinach, and a strip of pickle radish at the side of the spam.
- Roll the kimbap tightly and tuck all the ingredients until the end. Brush the top of the kimbap with sesame oil and slice the kimbap with a sharp knife. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving. Enjoy! Note; Once the kimbap roll is secure, we like to turn the seam side down on the mat and shape the roll once more. This ensures the seam is down and the top side of the kimbap is as round as can be.
Voila! Enjoy the kimbap rolls as they are or cut each roll into 8 to 10 equal pieces so that they’re easier to eat. Enjoy your Spam Kimbap. I like to serve it with soy sauce and add some chili flakes or gochugaru. but traditionally, you can also serve kimbap with some light kimchi soup or fish cake broth for you to dip in.
Do you still need Korean vibes for your movie times? You must try these!
- Corn Dog Sausage
- Korean Popcorn Chicken
- Korean Mozzarella Cheese Balls
- Korean Beef Bulgogi Meatballs
Hope you enjoy this Spam Kimbap as much as I do. Let me know your results with this recipe by uploading pictures and tagging us at @much.butter on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. You can find us also on Pinterest. Just subscribe to our email for the latest idea menus.
Thank you for your support, saranghayeo💕
Spam Kimbap
Ingredients
Egg
- 4 Egg
- ¼ tsp Salt
Carrot
- 1 large Carrot peeled and julienned
- ¼ tsp Salt
Spinach
- 250 g Spinach
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Sesame Oil
Rice
- 4 cup White Rice
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tbsp Sesame Oil
Other
- 5 sheet Gim roasted dry seaweed sheet
- Spam luncheon meat
- 5 strip Danmuji yellow pickle radish
- 1 tbsp Roasted Sesame Seed
- ½ tsp Sesame Oil
Instructions
Egg
-
In a bowl, beat egg and salt. Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat, pour half of the beaten egg then cook until 70-80% set, fold the egg from one side, about 2 inch until half way, pull the egg then pour the rest of the egg mixture where the egg is not folded. Repeat the process until all the egg is rolled up.
-
Turn off the heat then set is aside and let it cool. Once the rolled egg is cooled, cut it lengthwise into 5 strips.
Carrot
-
In the same pan, heat oil over medium heat then cook julienned carrot with salt until tender and turns vibrant. Set aside.
Spam
-
Cut spam into 10 thick strips. In the same pan over medium-high heat, pan fry the spam until both side turns golden brown. Set aside and let it cool.
Spinach
-
Boil water in a pot/pan over medium heat. Once the water is boiling, blanch the spinach until the leave turns vibrant green. Strain immediately.
-
Transfer it to a mixing bowl then season the spinach with salt and sesame oil. Set aside.
Rice
-
Place rice in a mixing bowl, season it with salt and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside.
Assemble Kimbap
-
Lay gim on the sushi roll mat, spread seasoned rice into a thin layer on top of the gim and leave about 1 inch empty at the end.
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Place a strip of egg at the center, followed by a strip of spam at the side of the egg and top it with carrot and spinach, and a strip of pickel radish at the side of the spam.
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Roll kimbap tightly and tucking all the ingredients until the end. Brush top of the kimbap with sesame oil and slice kimbap with a sharp knife. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving. Enjoy!
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