Do you know what this food is? It is Korean food called Gimbap which is cooked by spreading rice on Korean seaweed and roll it with various vegetables in it. Kim(Korean Seaweed) is an indispensable food on the Korean table. There are a number of Korean foods that can be made with seaweed.
Around 19,500 tonnes of dried gim are produced annually in South Korea. Since naturally grown gim is insufficient to meet market demand, most of the gim produced for commercial markets is cultivated. The food shown in the picture, Gimbab, can be called as Korean soul food. It is no exaggeration to say that no Korean has ever gone on a picnic at school or tried Gimbab for lunch. These days, Gimbab is also gaining popularity in Japan and the U.S.
Korean seaweed is especially popular with tourists from Asian countries because it is seasoned with salt and sesame oil. Some Gim packed for one person is good for a souvenir as well. You’ll be surprised at how many brands of Korean seaweed there are at the market.
Wrapping seaweed on top of freshly-cooked white rice makes it taste so delicious that no other side dish is needed. There are a lot of ways to eat Gim and rice. Put the seaweed on top of rice and eat it with kimchi, ham, and dried radish, etc. Sometimes, people wrap the rice in unseasoned seaweed and dip it into soy sauce. Because Gim itself is salty, it’s very good with a glass of beer. Some Korean bar serves Gim as free basic snacks.
Gim is used in a wide variety of Korean dishes. Egg roll with Gim in it would be an easy example. Eggs with salty Gim is the best combination you can ask for!
Koreans love fried rice as much as one can say that we cannot live without it. After eating Samgyeopsal, spicy chicken, or even shabu shabu, we always make fried rice to finish up the meals. The last thing you need for the perfect recipe is Gim. To make fried rice more perfectly, chop Gim into small pieces and put it on top of fried rice, which tastes like heaven. People eat kimchi fried rice with Gim on top of it, as well!
This YouTuber will be a perfect example. Gim is also delicious to eat with mayonnaise. Wrapped kimchi fried rice in seaweed and mayonnaise on it. It’s just a perfect combination.
When you come to Korea, make sure to buy Korean seaweed as a gift! Don’t forget! There are so many kinds of Gim in the mart, so you can choose whatever you like!