Vegan Kimbap with Tofu

This Vegan Kimbap features crispy fried tofu with seasoned and fresh vegetables! Make delicious homemade kimbap with this easy to follow recipe.

What is Kimbap?

Kimbap is a Korean dish made from cooked rice seasoned with sesame oil and salt with a variety of filling ingredients, tightly rolled in dried sheets or sea weed. Kimbap is very similar to Japanese sushi but there are two identifiable differences.

Whats the difference between Japanese sushi and Korean kimbap?

The rice and the filling. Japanese sushi rice is seasoned with sushi seasoning (vinegar), Kimbap is seasoned with sesame oil and a bit of salt. Japanese sushi rolls are commonly filled fish and/or vegetables, whereas Kimbap is filled with cooked proteins such as bulgogi and vegetables. However, both Japanese sushi rolls and Korean sushi rolls have several varieties and combinations of fillings! Another subtle difference is that Kimbap is usually brushed with sesame oil for a glossy look and a little more toasted sesame flavour.

Ingredients to make easy Vegan Kimbap with Tofu

Kimbap is super customizable and the fillings will depend on where you buy your Korean sushi rolls or what you want to fill it with. Typically, you will find Kimbap with a cooked meat, yellow pickled radish (takuan) with cooked and fresh vegetables. To make vegan Kimbap, I replaced the meat with tofu and fried it for extra crunchy texture. I’ve also made Korean sushi rolls with smoked tofu which is just as delicious! Here’s a run down of the ingredients I decided to incorporate in this Kimbap, but feel free to get creative.

• korean seaweed (called gim)
• tofu
• takuan
• carrots
• spinach
• cucumbers
• burdock
• and sesame oil to taste

Play around with ingredients! I also love making kimchi kimbap and adding in all kinds of other seasoned vegetables.

How to Make Vegan Kimbap

Unlike Japanese sushi rolls, Kimbap includes a lot of prepared vegetables seasoned with salt and sesame oil. It may seem laboursome to cook each vegetable separately, but it only takes about 15-20 minutes max! To me, for good Kimbap, it’s worth it!

• Korean Kimbap Rice: use short grain rice and cook as per usual (with just a tad less liquid). Once all the other ingredients are ready to go, season with salt and sesame oil. Don’t be tempted to add too much oil through because a lot of the other ingredients include sesame oil and sometimes it can be too over-powering.
• Fried Tofu: I’ve used both medium-firm, firm and extra firm tofu and they all work great! Just be a bit more careful with the medium firm to ensure it doesn’t break apart. Coat with some corn starch and fry in a pan with some oil over medium heat and season with salt.
• Seasoned Carrots: In the same pan as the tofu, quickly fry the carrots with some salt and sesame oil until cooked through.
• Korean Seasoned Spinach: Blanch the spinach, this should take no more than 45 seconds. Quickly rinse with cold water or shock it in a bowl with water and ice. Squeeze out the excess liquid and slice the ball of spinach in half. Season with garlic, sesame oil and a bit of salt.
• Korean burdock root: You can buy already prepared braised burdock root at Korean markets, but I just use my Kinpira Gobo recipe! They’re virtually the exact same thing, except the size might be slightly different. Similarly with the pickled yellow radish (takuan), you can find it at Japanese or Korean markets. Slice into 1/2 inch vertical strips.
• Fresh vegetables: Slice the cucumber into 1/2 inch vertical strips.

How to Easily Roll Kimbap

Once you have all the ingredients ready, it’s time to roll it up! The easiest way to roll sushi or Kimbap is by using a bamboo mat. I’ve seen bamboo matts sold everywhere for cheap, so it’s definitely worth it to purchase one for tightly rolled perfect sushi and Kimbap.

1. Place a piece of Korean seaweed (or nori sheet) shiny side down, with the longer end going vertically. Keep a bowl of water handy beside your station.
2. Wet your fingers and add 3/4-1 cup of the rice onto the seaweed. Press the rice down with your fingers to evenly cover the seaweed leaving 2-3 cm at the top open.
3. Layer your ingredients horizontally. You don’t want to over stuff or under stuff the Kimbap, so your first roll can kind of be your “tester” to see how much you can fit in because it depends how large your sliced your vegetables.
4. Once all the filling is in place, lift the bottom edge (with the matt) and roll over the filling ingredients. Press firmly against the bamboo matt and continue until you each the top. The seaweed should hold together at the end from the moisture of the rice.
5. Lightly brush the roll with some sesame oil. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 equal pieces. Wipe your knife with a damp cloth or towel after every cut to make clean cuts

And there you have it! A simple and easy kimbap recipe.

More Korean Food Recipes to Try!

• Vegan Japchae
• Kimchi Pancakes (egg & dairy free)
• Air Fryer Korean Candied Sweet Potatoes
• Korean BBQ Pulled Jackfruit
• Date Sweetened Korean BBQ Sauce

If you recreate this Vegan Kimbap recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

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Vegan Kimbap

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 10 reviews

• Author: Lisa Kitahara
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 rolls 1x

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Description

This Vegan Kimbap features crispy fried tofu with seasoned and fresh vegetables! Make delicious homemade kimbap with this easy to follow recipe.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3–4 Korean sea weed (or nori wraps)
• 2 rice cooker cup, short grain rice
• 1.5 tbsp sesame oil
• 1–2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 2 small cucumbers, sliced vertically
• 1 small carrot (70g)
• 1 recipe braised burdock root
• 1/4 pack of yellow pickled radish, sliced vertically (80g)

Tofu:

• 1/2 package firm tofu (200g)
• 1 tbsp corn starch

Spinach: 

• 1/2 container of spinach (5 oz)
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

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Instructions

1. RICE: Cook the short grain rice as per usual.
2. TOFU: Cut the tofu into vertical slices, around ½ inch thick. Coat with the corn starch and season with some salt. Over medium heat, fry the tofu in some oil until brown and crispy. Transfer onto a plate to cool.
3. CARROTS: In the same pan, add the julienned carrots. Season with a little sesame seed oil and salt for 2-3 minutes, until cooked.
4. SPINACH: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds, strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Squeeze out any excess water and cut the ball of spinach in half. Season with minced garlic, sesame oil and salt.
5. BURDOCK: Prepare the burdock following this recipe.
6. FRESH VEG: Slice the cucumber and yellow pickled radish into vertical sticks, around ½ inch in width.
7. SEASONED RICE: Once all the filling ingredients are ready, transfer the cooked rice into a large bowl. Add in the sesame oil and salt and mix using a ride paddle (be careful not to over mix and “squish” the rice).
8. ASSEMBLE: Place a sheet of seaweed onto a bamboo mat (shiny side down). Spread ¾ cup of rice onto the seaweed as evenly as possible using wet fingers, leaving around 2 cm of space at the top. Add the filling ingredients by layering it over the rice on the side closest to you.
9. ROLL: Once all the filling is in place, lift the bottom edge (with the matt) and roll over the filling ingredients. Press firmly against the bamboo matt and continue until you each the top. The seaweed should hold together at the end from the moisture of the rice. Lightly brush the roll with some sesame oil. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 equal pieces. Wipe your knife with a damp cloth or towel after every cut to make clean cuts.

Notes

• For a no-fry tofu version, substitute with smoked tofu
• Pickled radish (takuan) can be purchased at most asian markets, Korean markets and/or Japanese markets
• Use my recipe for braised burdock or purchase at Korean or Japanese markets
• I highly recommend purchasing a bamboo matt to make any kind of sushi rolls for easy rolling
• Use a very sharp knife when cutting your kimbap into pieces and wipe after each slice for clean cuts so that the knife doesn’t stick to the other pieces

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Entree
• Method: Rice Cooker
• Cuisine: Korean

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 roll
• Calories: 396g
• Sugar: 4.2g
• Sodium: 600mg
• Fat: 13.1g
• Saturated Fat: 1.4g
• Unsaturated Fat: 7.6g
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 56.2g
• Fiber: 3.3g
• Protein: 12.7g
• Cholesterol: 0

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