Tuna Avocado Kimbap

Cook the Rice. (Use Korean short-grain sticky rice.)

Prepare Vegetables.

• Julienne the cucumber, place it in a bowl, mix with a pinch of salt, and let sit for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, squeeze the water out of the cucumber as much as possible.
• Julienne the carrot. Sauté the carrot in a dry pan with a pinch of salt. When cooked to your liking, finish by adding 1 teaspoon of Sesame Oil (or Perilla Oil).
• Whisk the eggs, season with 1/3 teaspoon of salt, and cook until golden brown in a pan with oil or butter.
• Once the eggs have cooled slightly, julienne them.

Prepare Fillings.

• Drain the tuna using a sieve to remove the oil as much as possible.
• Mix the drained tuna with 1 chopped Cheongyang pepper (optional), chopped onion, a dash of black pepper, and mayonnaise. Adding enough mayonnaise to make it nicely moist is delicious, but adjust to personal preference. You can also serve extra mayo as a dipping sauce.
• Slice the avocado lengthwise.

Season the Rice.

• To the slightly cooled rice, add 1/3 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil per 220g (one roll’s worth). Mix gently with a spatula. Do not mash the rice with your hands.
• Tip: Salt should be added incrementally until the rice is just a little bland, as all other ingredients are seasoned. For 3 rolls (660g rice): 1 teaspoon salt / 1.5 tablespoons sesame oil.)

Assemble the Huge Gimbap.

• Stick one and a half sheets of Gim together using water and a brush. The shiny side of the Gim should be facing outwards (down).
• Spread the seasoned rice as thinly as possible onto the Gim. (Fill the starting edge completely, and leave a 4-5cm gap at the finishing edge.)
• First, lay down the perilla leaves or lettuce barrier. (This prevents the moisture from the filling from soaking the rice, and it adds flavor.)
• Place the firmest fillings (like pickled radish) first at the bottom.
• Start placing the ingredients about 3-4cm from the edge closest to you.

Roll and Seal.

• No bamboo mat is needed. You can do this by hand.
• Roll the starting edge over the fillings, then use your fingertips to tuck the Gim in and gather the ingredients as you roll.
• Cup your hand around the ingredients to form a tight, solid bundle, and press down firmly. Hold for about 5 seconds.
• Wet the remaining end of the Gim with water and finish rolling to seal the seam.
• Leave the seam side down to stick well.

Slice.

• Slice the Kimbap. Use a saw-like motion when slicing the roll, but press down with force when you reach the final part to cut cleanly. (Note: Remember to oil your knife slightly before slicing!)