Crispy Seaweed Chips
Quick answer
- Total time
- 50 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
Basak gim-bugak is a traditional Korean snack made of seaweed sheets coated with glutinous rice paste and fried until crispy.
Read more
The process begins by cooking a thick mixture of water, glutinous rice flour, and salt. After cooling the paste, it is spread thinly onto half of a seaweed sheet. The sheet is folded in half and coated with another thin layer of paste to build a double-layer structure. Sesame seeds are scattered on top before drying. The sheets are dried in a dehydrator or an air fryer at 80 degrees Celsius until stiff and hard. Ensuring the seaweed is completely dry, especially at the edges, is crucial for a crisp outcome. The dried pieces are flash-fried in hot oil at 180 degrees Celsius for just two to three seconds. They puff up instantly and must be removed quickly to prevent burning.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
In a saucepan, whisk 1.5 cups water, 0.5 cup glutinous rice flour, and a pinch of salt until no dry lumps remain.
Set over medium heat and stir all the way across the bottom with a wooden spoon.
- 2Finish
After about 5 minutes, turn off the heat when the paste becomes thick and slightly translucent.
Spread it thinly on a wide plate or bowl and cool completely at room temperature before touching the seaweed.
- 3Step
Lay each gimbap seaweed sheet flat with dry hands.
Spread a thin layer of cooled paste over one half, fold the plain half over it, press gently to stick, then coat the top with another thin layer.
- 4Heat
Before the top paste dries, divide 1 tablespoon sesame seeds over the sheets and scatter evenly.
Arrange them in a single layer, without overlap, and dry in a dehydrator or air fryer at 80 degrees Celsius.
- 5Step
Dry until the seaweed feels stiff, does not bend easily, and has no soft spots.
Check the edges as well as the center, because any remaining moisture will make the chips limp when fried.
- 6Finish
Heat 2 cups cooking oil to 180 degrees Celsius and fry the dried sheets one at a time.
As soon as a sheet bubbles and puffs, lift it out within 2 to 3 seconds, drain well, and serve while crisp.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Double-layer glutinous rice paste creates the signature crunch of these seaweed chips.
- Finish cue
- Dry until the seaweed feels stiff, does not bend easily, and has no soft spots.
- Avoid this
- Be careful as it burns instantly if the oil temperature is too high.
- Storage and reheating
- Spread it thinly on a wide plate or bowl and cool completely at room temperature before touching the seaweed.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
50min, 6 ingredients
Category median
17min, 7 ingredients
Based on 109 recipes
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