Korean Kimbap 韓式紫菜飯卷 김밥

It has been a pleasant summer so far in Southern California, compared to the rest of the country where triple digit temperature has been prevailing. We have been blessed by marine layers from the Pacific Ocean which serve as a natural air conditioner to keep us around 80F for most of Los Angeles.
On hot summer days, light meals with easy to fix ingredients are preferred, like kimbap, a Korean dish similar to California rolls. It is fun to make (my daughter LOVES to do it) and easy to eat. It can be an appetizer or side dish. You can make kimbap whenever you don't feel like cooking. The ingredients do not need any cooking, except the fried egg and rice, but like the rest of the ingredients, it can be replaced with other foods of your choice. It can also be completely vegetarian.

I just love the rainbow color: black seaweed, white rice, yellow egg and radish, orange carrot, red imitation crab meat, green cucumber and pink Spam !

正當大部份美國本土地方的氣溫都過華氏一百度的時候,南加州可算是得天獨厚,仍然都未算太熱,白天的氣溫平均八十度左右,十分宜人。但夏天普遍胃口都欠佳,比較適合食清淡的食物,這款韓國紫菜飯卷就最適合不過,可以當小食或小菜都好,材料大部份都不用煮(除了飯及煎蛋外),簡單又方便,又可以變成素食。色彩繽紛:黑色紫菜,白色飯,黃色蘿蔔及蛋,橙色胡蘿蔔,紅色仿蟹肉,綠色黃瓜及粉紅午餐肉!

The amount of ingredients does not need to be followed precisely. It is for your reference only:
3-4 cups freshly steamed rice, cool, mix with 2 tbsp sesame oil
1 yellow pickled radish, cut into strips*
1 large cucumber, cut into strips*
2 large eggs, scrambled and fried, cut into strips*
10 pieces imitation crab meat
1 carrot, cut thinly
1 can Spam or other luncheon meat, cut into strips*
10 pieces dried unseasoned seaweed
*the strips are about half an inch thick
1 bamboo sushi rolling mat

以下提供的材料與份量只供參考,可加可減,適隨各人口味:
三至四杯新鮮煮好之飯,室溫,加二湯匙麻油攪勻
一條​​酸蘿蔔,切條*
一條大黃瓜,切條*
二隻蛋,攪打後煎熟,切條*
十條仿蟹肉
一個胡蘿蔔,切幼條
一罐午餐肉,切條*
十張紫菜
一張卷壽司用的竹席
*切約半寸厚

1) Lay the seaweed on top of the rolling mat and spread a thin layer of rice on the seaweed, leaving about one inch of exposed seaweed at the edge farthest from you.
將一張紫菜放在竹席上,放上薄薄一層飯,最上的一邊留下約一寸空位。

2) Pile a piece of each of the ingredients in the middle of the rice.
3) Keeping the ingredients in place, roll the bamboo mat and the rice+seaweed so that it enfolds the ingredients. Try to make it as tight as you can.
將每樣材料放上一份,疊好,然後卷上,收緊,用小許飯放在開口上,再收緊。

4) Pulling the edge of the bamboo mat out of the way as you go, keep rolling it up.
5) As you finish, squeeze the whole thing, bamboo mat and all, so that it doesn't unravel at once.
6) Take the bamboo mat off.
7) On the edge that doesn't have any rice, stick a few grains of rice on it to make it adhere to the rest of the roll.
8) Roll it up again in the bamboo mat and squeeze again to make sure it sticks.
9) Cut it up about half an inch thick and serve, with or without soy sauce.
用手再卷實,放開竹席,然後用刀切約半寸厚便可食用,如有須要,可點鼓油食用。

Note:
1)  It is best to serve the same day. Tightly cover the left over in the refrigerator for no more than a day because the rice will get hard.
2)  Spam can be replaced by other kind of meat, such as sausages, hot dog meat or even BBQ pork or beef.
注意:
1)  最好在即日內享用,剩餘可包好放雪柜最多一日,因飯會變硬,影嚮口感。
2)  除了午餐肉,可以用香腸,熱狗腸或燒牛肉或豬肉。