A simple idea can turn yesterday’s kimbap into a completely different meal today.
You know Yuni loves kimbap, right?
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From leftover kimbap to a new meal
I like making it myself the best, but on a sweltering summer day like this, even standing in the kitchen for a long time feels difficult.
A few days ago, I bought some kimbap… and got greedy again, so there was some leftover kimbap that went straight into the freezer.
In Korea, a kimbap transformation is completely natural.
Frozen kimbap has more uses than you might think.
You can coat it in egg and make kimbap jeon,
or turn it into kimbap fried rice like I did today, and it tastes really good.
Yuni’s choice today was a kimbap transformation!
Just thaw it slightly and cook it slowly
Let the frozen kimbap thaw slightly at room temperature, then put it in a pan and cook it slowly. That is all.
Kimbap is already seasoned, so there is no need to add any special seasoning. If you really want to add something, a little sesame oil at the end is enough.
It is really simple, right?
I usually just cook it like fried rice,
but today I tried something a little different.
I pressed the rice a little longer to make it crispy.
When the nutty aroma starts to rise like nurungji, that is when another kimbap transformation begins.
The second kimbap transformation
It would already be delicious enough to eat at this point,
but my nephew came over today, so I decided to transform it one more time.
I took out the rice paper I had at home.
I rolled the crispy kimbap fried rice up again and cut it into easy-to-eat pieces,
and that became today’s second kimbap transformation.
Even the leftover sauce found a new use
I did not make a new sauce.
I took out the garlic dipping sauce that had been left in the refrigerator after ordering chicken last time.
I had not saved it for this, but it went surprisingly well with the dish.
Once I put a little garlic sauce on the crispy rice, I could not stop reaching for more.
I used up the leftover kimbap,
and used up the leftover sauce too.
It really was a day when I properly cleaned out the refrigerator.
The wisdom hidden in leftover food
When I think about it, Korean mothers are really good at making use of leftover food.
When I was young, my mother often made what we called “mixed stew” with leftover side dishes.
There would be jeon, fish cake, and kimchi in it.
The flavor changed every time depending on what side dishes were left.
That is why food was rarely thrown away just because there were leftovers.
With just a little more imagination, yesterday’s food can become a completely different menu today.
The next time you have frozen kimbap left over, do not just reheat it. Try a kimbap transformation.
Simple kimbap fried rice is good too,
and transforming it one more time into a rice paper dish like today can be really fun.
And one last thing.
