The Koreans fondly call it "kimbap", the Japanese eagerly devour their "futomaki" in one swig and still look unbelievably cute and dainty. I first set my eyes on these seaweed covered sliced rolls of heaven around 10 years ago while snow-trapped at a corner snack stand in Jeju Island. While my companions were bored and complaining, I was silent and mesmerized looking at the speed on what the smiling Korean store owner was doing so fast with her hands. when I snapped out of my trance, I asked what it was. I heard "Kimpap", my local companions chorused like a choir. I asked, "is it good?". Mr. Nah (as I fondly called my marketing officer) answered, "yes, Korean junk food". Rice as junk food??? That's new. I bought a freshly assembled roll intending to have it the next day ( it was after dinner). My "kimpap" never saw sunrise. I ate one the night we bought the roll and I couldn't stop. It was creamy...crunchy..with a hint of sweet and sour and spicy. It also smelled oh so good! I was hooked. And mind you, Mr. Nah might have wanted to say street food instead of shocking me by saying its their junk food. I tried to recreate kimbap when I landed back in Manila but some of the more important ingredients were either expensive or hard to find. Noooo, this can't be! My mind started rolling and after a few experimentation on the ingredients, I hit jackpot! I knew its jackpot because my ever critical food commentator, my dad, had me making more rolls up to now. I'll call this my Pinoy breakfast version because I used what a Pinoy would normally find at the table during breakfast -- rice, dried fish, egg, vinegar or calamansi, and some. The saltiness of the flaked dried fish balances the tinge of sourness from the rice. The fresh crunch of the cucumber emphasized the creaminess of the egg omelet. And the pickled ginger? It tamed the chili powder residue in your mouth. Except for the seaweed sheets, this fare is easy to create when cravings for something "fancy" hits you any day...or night.
Ingredients:
FOR THE RICE:
FOR THE FILLINGS:
HOW TO ASSEMBLE:
photocredit:www.allaboutsushi.com
Ingredients:
FOR THE RICE:
- newly cooked rice ( add a teaspoon of sticky rice if you want your pinoy sushi roll more dense)
- any kind of cooking oil ( I use what I find in the kitchen)
- a little salt
- a little white pepper (optional)
- a little white sugar (optional)
FOR THE FILLINGS:
- egg omelet strips
- cucumber strips (soft part removed, skin retained)
- flaked cooked dried fish ( the saltier the better, I use Tuloy. Make sure to remove all bones, the head, the tail, and the scales)
- calamansi extract (seeds removed)
- chili powder (if you want it spicy)
- pickled ginger (optional)
- Japanese or Korean seaweed sheets (Nori)
HOW TO ASSEMBLE:
- wet your hands with a little water and cooking oil (or put on disposable plastic hand gloves)
- place the seaweed sheet, shiny side down, on a clean flat surface
- spread a thin layer of rice on 2/3 of the sheet. make sure that the rice is uniformly flattened and area is covered completely
- sprinkle or baste the rice area with calamansi extract
- add a long thin line of chili powder
- add a generous line of flaked dried fish (don''t skimp on this one)
- follow with a strip of omelet and cucumber
- roll the sheet beginning from the side of the rice. roll it tightly but make sure it does not tear ( use a sushi rolling mat if you have) until you make a log
- using a thin, sharp knife dipped in hot water with a little oil, slice the roll according to the thickness that you want
- use the remaining calamansi extract as your dipping sauce, or dip it in soy sauce with a little vinegar
photocredit:www.allaboutsushi.com