AI-generated image
Gimjaban
Fried seasoned seaweed
Gimjaban (김자반): toasted laver crumbled and fried with sesame oil, sugar and seeds into a crunchy rice topping
Korean children grow up eating gimjaban scattered over rice or rolled into jumeokbap rice balls, and a little tub of it is the easiest way to make a plain dosirak exciting. It is laver seaweed toasted, crushed and stirred in a pan with sesame oil, a little sugar and plenty of sesame seeds until crisp and savoury-sweet. The common mistake is adding the soy sauce while the pan is very hot, which turns the flakes soggy and clumped. Chef's tip: mix the soy and sugar into the oil first, then toss in the crushed seaweed off the heat and return it to a gentle flame just to dry out.
- Total time
- 13 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 10 unseasoned laver (gim) or nori sheetsfull size
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Toast 10 unseasoned laver (gim) or nori sheets one sheet at a time over a low gas flame or in a dry pan for a few seconds each side, until it turns greener and crisp.
3 minStep 2: Put the sheets in a large food bag and crush them into small flakes with your hands.
Step 3: In a large frying pan off the heat, stir together 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, 2 tsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp sugar. Add the seaweed flakes and toss with your fingers or chopsticks until every flake is coated.
Step 4: Set the pan over a low heat and stir for 4–5 minutes, until the flakes feel dry and crisp again and the sugar has melted.
5 minStep 5: Stir in 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, cool completely and keep in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks. Sprinkle over dosirak rice or mix into rice balls.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 45 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gimjaban take?
- About 13 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 8 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of toasted sesame oil?
- Toasted sesame seeds ground with a little vegetable oil.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
TashmijabiMashed potatoes with stretchy cheese
Potatoes grow well in the cold valleys of Svaneti, and tashmijabi is how families around Mestia turn them into a feast dish: they are mashed hot, then beaten with handfuls of young sulguni until the purée becomes glossy and stretches from the spoon in long strands. It is served with grilled meat, kubdari or simply with pickles and Svan salt. A common mistake is letting the potatoes cool before adding the cheese; they must be piping hot for the cheese to melt and stretch. Chef's tip: keep the pan on a low heat while you beat, and use a firm wooden spoon. Most sulguni uses animal rennet; choose a vegetarian one or use mozzarella.
Georgian
DakjukChicken and rice porridge
All over Korea, dakjuk is the bowl a mother makes on a cold morning or when someone is under the weather: chicken simmered with garlic and ginger, the meat pulled into shreds, and soaked rice cooked down in the broth until it turns into a soft, savoury porridge finished with sesame oil. It is eaten for breakfast or as a gentle lunch, with a little kimchi on the side. The usual mistake is boiling the chicken hard, which clouds the broth and toughens the meat; keep it at a lazy simmer. Chef's tip: fry the soaked rice in sesame oil for two minutes before the broth goes in, so the grains toast lightly and the porridge tastes nutty rather than flat.
Jamaican callalooSteamed callaloo greens
In Jamaica, callaloo means the leaves and tender stems of a type of amaranth, sold in big bundles in every market from Coronation Market in Kingston to Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth. It's steamed down with onion, tomato, garlic and thyme into soft, savoury greens with a mild mineral sweetness, and eaten at breakfast with fried dumplings, boiled green bananas or hard dough bread, or as a side at dinner. Spinach or Swiss chard can stand in if you can't find callaloo. Chef's tip: peel the fibrous skin from the thicker stems with a small knife and slice the stems and leaves finely across, about 1 cm wide. That's how Jamaican cooks get callaloo that's tender all the way through rather than stringy.
Jamaican