Mayak Kimbap is the small version of kimbap that originated in Gwangjang Market in Seoul. It comes with an addicting sauce that will make you eat this nonstop!
This Mini Kimbap is no different from the OG Kimbap. It is made of seaweed and rice rolled with vegetables inside. The only difference is that it is small and do not contain protein most of the time.
Mini Kimbap is a famous street food that was first sold in the famous Gwangjang Market. Despite the lack of the usual ham, egg, and imitation crab filing—people line up to buy these because they are well-seasoned, very delicious, and come with an addicting sauce.
Mayak literally means “narcotics”. While this street food is not exactly a drug, but when you taste the combination of the mini kimbap with the dip, you’ll find yourself eating one roll after another. Two bites are not enough!
Mayak Kimbap Ingredients
Disclaimer: I get a small commission at no additional cost to you when you make a qualified purchase under the affiliate links.
Seaweeds
There are several types of seaweed in the market. For this Mayak Kimbap recipe, you need to find the roasted seaweed laver, used especially for sushi or kimbap. It is specifically used for rolls because it is thicker and will hold the roll better despite the moisture from the rice.
Avoid getting seasoned seaweeds because those tend to be thinner and are usually for snacking.
Seasoned Rice
Since there are only a few elements to this dish, you need to be able to make it right. For this recipe, you need well-cooked rice that will be seasoned with salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. With just well-seasoned rice, this dish will be fire!
If you are still struggling to make the perfect rice, make sure to check out my blog about it!
Vegetables
The contents of Mayak Kimbap can vary per store. But generally, it only contains carrots, yellow radish, pickled burdock root, and spinach or cucumber.
- Carrots – Chop them into equal matchstick sizes and saute in a little bit of oil and salt. Make sure that you saute it until it’s cooked but still retains its crunch. Do not overcook it else it will turn soggy!
- Yellow Radish and Pickled Burdock Root – These are usually packaged together to be used in kimbap. However, if you can only find yellow radish, feel free to skip the burdock root. No preparation is needed for this aside from chopping it thinner.
- Spinach or Cucumber – You can use either of the two depending on what’s available to you. To prepare the cucumber, simply remove the seed to keep it from watering down and chop it to equal matchstick sizes. To prepare the spinach, blanch then squeeze out excess water and season it with salt and sesame oil.
You don’t need to stress out the ingredients because you can use only 2 or 3 vegetables depending on what’s available to you. I just like to use carrots, yellow radish, burdock root, and cucumber to make sure they are not only delicious but also visually appetizing with all the different colors.
Mayak Kimbap Sauce
As mentioned, aside from the well-seasoned kimbap, the sauce that comes with it is one of its unique selling points.
Wifey cracked the code and concocted this sauce just like in the streets of Gwangjang Market. You need blue cheese mustard, soy sauce, white vinegar, corn syrup or sugar, and a little bit of water.
The combination of the sauce ingredients is sweet and tangy which will complement the savory, fresh, and nutty kimbap!
How to Make Mini Kimbap
Prepare the Ingredients
There are several things you need to do beforehand to make the assembly of ingredients smooth.
- Divide your seaweed paper into quarters. No need to cut it with scissors, simply fold them and they will cut right off.
- Cook the rice, allow it to cool off a little, and season with salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Season to taste and mix really well!
- Chop the carrots, yellow radish, pickled burdock root, and cucumbers into thin and equal matchstick sizes. Saute the carrots with a little bit of oil and salt.
NOTE: Measurement will not be exact and there may be leftovers among the ingredients but I will share an approximated yield in the recipe card so you don’t over prepare.
Assemble and Roll the Kimbap
Once the ingredients are laid out, on a quarter sheet of nori, place a small handful of rice and spread it out evenly leaving about a 1/2 to an inch of space on one side.
Carefully lay 2-3 pieces each of carrots, yellow radishes, burdock roots, and cucumbers on the bottom part of the rice. Allow some veggies to overlap the two ends of the kimbap so it peeks out when rolled.
To close the kimbap, simply roll and tuck in the vegetables. Keep rolling and tucking until you reach the space you left earlier and lock it with a bit of water.
Repeat the process until your ingredients have run out. Brush the mini kimbap with sesame oil and garnish it with some sesame seeds.
Make the Sauce
Make the sauce by combining blue cheese mustard, soy sauce, white vinegar, corn syrup or sugar, and a little bit of water. Mix it well, dip the kimbap, and enjoy!
What to Eat with Mini Kimbap
These little rice rolls are perfect as a snack, picnic or field trip food, or finger food at parties. It’s vegetarian/vegan-friendly so literally everyone can enjoy it! Warm or room temp, this is great either way!
You can eat this with other bento box food items like Pork Cutlet, Mini Beef Patties, Rolled Omelette, or Kimchi Pancake. You can also dip it in some Tteokbokki sauce or enjoy it with some Fish Cake Soup!
Make sure to consume these bitesize rolls within the day of making otherwise the rice might harden and the entire texture may be different when heated up. No worries though, I am sure you will finish these off because of how delicious it is!
Other bento box food you might like:
- Stir-Fried Fish Cake
- Korean Sausage Stir-Fry
- Soy Garlic Chicken Wings
- Chicken Teriyaki
- Chive Pancake
Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!
Mini Kimbap (Mayak Kimbap)
Ingredients
Kimbap Ingredients (Will approx. make 6-8 mini rolls)
- 2 cups Rice
- 2 pcs Seaweed Paper Cut into quarters
- 3 strips Yellow Radish
- 3 strips Soy Braised Burdock Root
- 1/2 of Medium-sized Cucumber
- 1/2 of Medium-sized Carrots
- Salt
- Sesame Oil
- Sesame Seeds
Mayak Sauce (Multiply as needed)
- 1/2 tbsp Blue Cheese Mustard
- 2 tsp Water
- 1 tsp Vinegar
- 1 tsp Corn Syrup or Sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the seaweed and rice: Divide the nori sheets into quarters. Cook rice, let it cool a bit, then season with salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds—mix it well.
- Prepare the vegetables: Chop carrots, yellow radishes, burdock roots, and cucumbers into thin, equal matchstick sizes. Saute the carrots in oil and a bit of salt until it is cooked but has retained its crunch. Do not overcook it!
- In a quarter sheet of seaweed, spread a small handful of rice evenly, leaving about 1/2-1 inch without rice on one side.
- Place 2-3 sticks of each veggie on the bottom part of the rice.
- Roll up the seaweeds and tuck in all the vegetables as you roll. Keep rolling and tucking until you reach the empty space of the seaweed—use that to lock the kimbap.
- Repeat the process until you finish all the ingredients, then brush the kimbap with some sesame oil and drizzle sesame seeds all over it.
- Combine blue cheese mustard, soy sauce, vinegar, corn syrup, and a little bit of water. Mix it well, dip the kimbap, and enjoy!
Leave a Reply