Korean Kimchi Cheese Gimbap

Quick answer

Total time: 30 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Kimchi cheese gimbap rolls seasoned rice, stir-fried kimchi, mozzarella cheese, and pickled daikon radish in sheets of dried seaweed.

The kimchi must be stir-fried until all the moisture has evaporated before rolling: this concentrates the tangy fermented flavor and prevents the released liquid from softening the rice and making the seaweed tear during and after rolling. The fat in the mozzarella wraps around the kimchi's sharp heat and moderates it, and the pickled radish adds sweet-sour crunch that varies the texture across each bite. Keeping the cheese in a single narrow line down the center of the roll is the key technique for tight rolling and a clean cross-section: too much cheese makes the roll thick and causes the seaweed to split. Sliced processed cheese can be used in place of mozzarella and melts similarly. Brushing the outside of the finished roll lightly with sesame oil gives it a glossy surface and seals the seam.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

Gimbap seaweed sheets4 eaea

Cooked rice2 cupcup

Stir-fried kimchi180 gg

Mozzarella cheese120 gg

Pickled radish80 gg

Sesame oil1 tbsptbsp

Sesame seeds1 tsptsp

Salt½ tsptsp

Shop All Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Season

Add 0.5 teaspoon salt, part of the sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds to 2 cups warm cooked rice.

Mix with a cutting motion so the grains stay intact, then let the rice cool until only slightly warm.
2

Control

Squeeze 180 g kimchi firmly, then stir-fry it in a pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Cook until no liquid pools on the pan and the kimchi looks glossy rather than wet.
3

Step

Place 4 seaweed sheets with the rough side facing up.

Line up 120 g mozzarella and 80 g pickled radish lengthwise, and keep the cheese amount narrow enough to form one centered strip.
4

Season

Spread the seasoned rice thinly and evenly over each seaweed sheet, leaving about 2 cm bare at the top edge.

Arrange the cooked kimchi, cheese, and pickled radish in the center without piling them too high.
5

Finish

Lift the lower edge of the seaweed and roll it tightly around the filling.

If the cheese shifts sideways, hold the center with your fingertips, finish the roll, and press the seam so it sticks.
6

Finish

Brush the outside of each finished roll lightly with the remaining sesame oil.

Rub a little oil on the knife, slice into bite-size pieces, and plate them without pressing the cut sides flat.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Stir-frying fermented kimchi until the moisture evaporates concentrates its tangy flavor before it is rolled with mozzarella cheese and seasoned rice in seaweed.
Finish cue: Cook until no liquid pools on the pan and the kimchi looks glossy rather than wet.