Kkoma Kimbap with Braised Gourd
….Someone’s recipe can transport me back to memories of the past. Today’s rolled kimbap with braised gourd is just that for me! My mother-in-law used to make kimbap with gourd simmered in soy sauce. I remember the old country house with large gourds hanging in vines on the thatched roof when I was young. Seeing white-cheeked children, elders would admire them, saying their skin was as fair as the inside of a gourd. In the story of Heungbu and Nolbu I read as a child, the big gourd was like a wonderful gift.
I’ve never grown gourd myself, but since I can buy it at the market around this time, I got some, sliced it thinly, and dried it in the sun for two days. I tried making @rinda.rejouissances’s recipe, with gourd cooked with my mat-gan-jang. The chewy texture was a delightful reminder of the past.
I was briefly tempted to add ingredients like egg and spinach, but I followed @rinda.rejouissances’s simple recipe, only adding fresh wasabi. I generously coated the rice with salt and avocado oil and stir-fried it for a nutty flavor. Preparing my kimbap was simple: place a small portion of cooled rice on dried seaweed, top with fresh wasabi, and add the soy-braised gourd before rolling it up. My first bite was incredible — just like childhood mini-kimbap that I couldn’t stop eating! My husband, too, remembered his mother’s kimbap with braised gourd and kept saying how delicious it was.
The recipe is simple yet fulfilling. It was a humble, comforting meal, filled with nostalgia and warmth. Thank you, @rinda.rejouissances, for sharing this recipe!
Servings: 2–3
Time: 40 minutes, plus 2 days for drying the gourd
Ingredients:
- 60 g dried gourd, soaked in cold water
- 1 tbsp + 2–3 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp muscovado sugar
- 2 tsp mirin
- 5 tbsp Mat-Gan-Jang
- 2 tsp rice syrup
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp water
- 3–4 cups steamed rice
- sea salt to taste
- 4 dried seaweed sheets, divided into four equal parts.
- fresh wasabi, ground to taste
Cooking Instruments:
- Remove the skin from the gourd, slice it thinly, spread it out on a tray, and dry it in the sunlight for two days.
2. After drying, the dried gourd should weigh 190 g. Soak it in cold water for 20 minutes. Gently squeeze the gourd with your hands and set it aside.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp avocado oil.
4. Add the gourd to the pan and stir-fry it for 1 minute.
5. Add the muscovado sugar and water to the pan, then stir.
6. Add the Mat-Gan-Jang and mirin to the pan, then stir well.
7. Add the rice syrup and sesame oil to the pan and stir for 1 minute.
8. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top. Set it aside.
8. Heat a pan over medium heat and add 2–3 tbsp of avocado oil. Add the steamed rice and a pinch of sea salt, then stir-fry everything well. Set it aside to cool slightly.
9. Place a piece of seaweed onto a cutting board and add some cooked steamed rice to the top half of the seaweed.
10. Place the ground wasabi on top of the steamed rice.
11. Place the braised gourd on top of the fresh wasabi.
12. Roll the rice with the edge of the seaweed and roll it tightly. Roll up the remaining ingredients in the same way.
13. Just serve it as is, or cut it in half before serving.
You can also view this recipe on Instagram.
