Triangle Kimbap

Triangle kimbap is a popular snack in Korea and it’s really fun to eat.  It is Korea’s take on a sandwich.  Generally, they consist of seaweed wrapped around rice filled with meat, tuna or kimchi.  In this recipe, I used mixed grain rice, baked tofu, and a delicious Korean sauce (ssamjang).  You can be creative with this, some other versions I want to try include teriyaki salmon, bulgogi, and tuna salad.  One reason I wanted to make this is so I had an excuse to buy one of those cute ‘lunch boxes’ for triangle kimbap.

Triangle Kimbap

Servings: makes 2 triangle kimbap

Ingredients:

-2 triangle kimbap seaweed sheets

-2/3 cup cooked mixed grain rice (or white rice) ~ room temperature

-1/2 packet dried mixed vegetables (optional)

-1/2 package firm tofu (I like Pulmuone brand)

-1-2 tsp soy sauce (low sodium)

For the Sauce:

-1/2 tsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)

-1/2 tsp soybean paste (doenjang)

-1 tsp rice wine

-1/2 tsp sesame oil

-1 tsp sugar or honey

-1 tsp water

*** Special equipment: You will need a triangle mold for the rice mixture.  Sometimes these come with the seaweed for triangle kimbap, or they are about 1,000 won in the kitchen section of most stores or Daiso.

Directions

1) Drain the tofu and cut it into small squares (use your triangle mold as a measurement) and pour the soy sauce over marinating it on all sides.  Place the tofu on a foil or parchment line baking sheet and bake at 215 degrees Celsius for about 30-40 minutes until they are firm and browned.  *Baking tofu gives it a meaty chewy texture, which makes it very pleasant!

2) Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

3) Combine the cooked rice and dried veggies. Set aside

4) Divide the mixture into 2 portions.  Put 1/2 of each portion in the triangle mold.  Put in your tofu and 1/2 the sauce on top.  Top with the other 1/2 of the rice.  Repeat for  the second triangle kimbap.

5) Flip out your rice triangle onto the triangle kimbap seaweed plastic.  Follow the instructions on the package so you can see how it works.  You want the triangle to face ‘step 1′ on the other side.

6) Fold up the seaweed wrapper and seal with a sticker.

7) You can keep these in the refrigerator for a few days, but I prefer to eat them right away or within a few hours.  Follow the 1,2,3 guide on the wrapper to remove the plastic so you can eat it.

Enjoy!

Below are the ingredients used in this recipe.  All the ingredients can be found at Home Plus.  The dried mixed veggies are usually near the pre-cooked rice bowls in the store.

Nutrition Information

For 1 Serving (1 triangle kimbap): 175 Calories, 4.9 g Fat, 0.3 g Saturated Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 466 mg Sodium, 25.5 g Carbohydrates, 4.3 g Fiber, 4.2 g Sugars, 7.3 g Protein.