How to make Kimbap (Gimbap) aka Korean Sushi

My dear, Korean friend, Yoona, called me this afternoon and asked if I was available this evening. She had gone to the store and bought all the ingredients necessary to make kimbap. I had asked her to teach me how to make it about 3 weeks ago and we just hadn't had the opportunity to get together yet to do it. I had dinner thought out... sorta, but this would be much better. What a nice surprise! She told me to go ahead and make up the rice (lightly salted) and she would be over in about an hour. I made 4 servings of rice and threw a little salt in... I wasn't sure how much to add, so I guessed. When she got here she pulled out a package of dried seaweed (sometimes called laver) which is roasted, but not seasoned, a package of imitation crab, and a cucumber. She cut up the cucumber into little sticks. Then she diced the crab and mixed it with a bit of mayo.

She laid a sheet of the seaweed down (with the prettier side facing the counter)

and covered most of the surface of the seaweed with a thin layer of warm rice. Too much rice and the whole thing will just taste like rice. If you think the rice needs more salt, I suppose you could throw a little on in this step.

Then she laid the cucumber sticks and the crab on top of the rice. I cheated and used a big cucumber stick and a long slice of crab (with a little mayo spread on it) on the rice.

Tightly roll the seaweed like a jelly roll.

Lay the roll seam-side down and let it rest and "glue" itself together.

Cut into coins. Eat right away, or wrap in tinfoil and refrigerate. It will keep for a day or two before the rice dries out too much to be enjoyable. You can also use cheese, eggs (hard-boiled or fried), ham, tuna, avocado, carrots, pickled radish or whatever suits your fancy.

Home Plus

My friend, Yoona, called me up today and asked if I had time to run to Home Plus. It is a shopping center something like WalMart. So the Nature Girl and I took the subway with Yoona to Uijeongbu, and then took a bus to Home Plus. The area around there is filled with familiar names and many places to shop. Home Plus was pretty cool. The grocery floor had people in several different departments giving samples of the food and drink products. The Nature Girl was able to try some fried squid and she liked it! Many of the stores like this also have a child care area where you can pay to leave your child there so they can play and you can shop in peace. It was a neat place to check out.


Check out the Dunkin Dounts on the bottom left corner.


Home Plus center


Check out the Swiss Miss, Hersheys, Quick, and other familiar US product names in Korean stores


The Nature Girl enjoying her fried squid!


Buildings filled with stores just across the street

Dongdaemun Shopping

Vikki and Melina

I went with my next-door neighbor a few weeks ago to Dongdeamun, but the fabric shops were all closed. We wandered around the shopping areas, but we had both been hoping to get into the fabric market. So I was wanting to go back when the stores were open. I met an army wife online named Melina a while back. She just got to Korea 2 weeks ago and she wanted to go and see the sites. I decided to take her to Dongdaemun on Saturday so I could look for some thread and get a better look at the fabric market and to show her the shopping center(s) there. I knew she would love it! I also invited my Korean friend, Yoona to go with us. We got down there and headed straight to the fabric market. It is a seamstress' heaven! Floor after floor filled with everything you could ever need to sew with and a bunch of cool things you didn't even know you could get. There is a floor dedicated to thread, yarn and string, one for knits, one for notions, one for basic cottons, and so on. If you like to sew, you need to come to Korea! I was able to buy the threads I was looking for and then some (9 spools of serger threads for just under $12) and bought 4 yards of 1" elastic for about $4.50. From there, we walked over to the Doosan Tower and Migliore Mall. The malls hold several stories of fashion shopping and food. We grabbed lunch and continued shopping. Yoona and I headed to the stationary and toy store streets and Melina stayed by the malls. Yoona and I browsed for a bit and then called to see if Melina was ready to head home... she was having so much fun, she wanted to stay til nightfall to see the area all lit up. So Yoona and I headed back home. It was a great day... now, I still need to find a day when I can go back alone to browse at my leisure all the great fabrics! I think I only have one friend who could tolerate a whole day surrounded by fabrics, and unfortunately she doesn't live here. Come on over, Colleen!


This whole building houses the fabric market and it continues underground, too


Just one shop of many selling thread


Fabric swatches showing just one vendor's merchandise


Buttons, snaps, buckles and more... a whole floor of it!


Dress forms for sale


Yoona and I


The Doosan Tower and Migliore Mall


These building are filled with more fashion shopping!