Monday is one of the days that I have to report physically to my work. My usual dilemma is thinking about what packed lunch should I prepare early in the morning. Most of the time, I would just end up buying takeout food on my way to work. Since I had enough rest last Saturday, I thought of preparing my lunch for the next day when Sunday came. I had the energy to work in the kitchen. ☺️ I was also watching another K-drama during the weekend, that's why I was craving for this Korean dish. I usually see families making Gimbap when they're going out for a picnic, it's a cute and warm tradition they do.
I am really thankful that we have a Korean store near our apartment. We'd just walk a little and we can get all the ingredients that we need to make Korean dishes. We could even treat ourselves with the many ice cream flavors they sell. Recently, I'm enjoying the Greek Yoghurt bars with Blueberry. Anyway, in making this Gimbap, I used the following ingredients. These can be bought in ordinary grocery stores except for the pickled radish.
Ingredients:
- Cooked rice
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Luncheon meat
- Crab stick
- Spinach
- Pickled radish
- Laver
In Photos
For the cooked rice, I added rice vinegar and sesame oil, this will bring a wonderful aroma and taste to the rice. The fried the luncheon meat with medium heat and sliced it to strips. For the crab sticks and the spinach, I steamed it while cooking the rice. I also added a little sesame oil to the spinach to add flavor, some also add crushed garlic to the spinach.
Putting it All Together
I used a bamboo mat in rolling the Gimbap, you can still do this without the mat. From the quick tutorial that I watched, the upper part of the laver should have enough space (around 2 inches) for the roll to close. Now, I know why I keep messing the Gimbap that I've tried making in the past. After arranging the ingredients as seen on the photo above, I wrapped everything using the mat. It was easier for me compared the last time, it was even less messy!
I was able to make these rolls from the ingredients I have prepared. Before wrapping the rolls using aluminum foil, I sliced it to bite size so it can be easily eaten when unwrapped. My lunch for Monday is now ready! I stored these in the fridge overnight and brought it to work for lunch.
Sometimes, especially now, preparing meals could be very tiring and bothersome. But we have to eat, meals that are not just delicious but also healthy. One way to make sure that the food we eat is healthy is to prepare or make it ourselves. I thought that meal prepping during the weekend is already the most "one step ahead" I could do, it turns out I can do more, like cook it one day ahead. 😅Now, I'm looking for an Onigiri mold, it would be something I'd do next time.