Seven Gimbap Techniques Taught by Chef Woo Jung-uk, the 'Seoul Mom' of 'Culinary Class Wars 2' - 경향신문
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<Culinary Class Wars> Chef Woo Jung-uk, a Korean cuisine expert widely known as 'Seoul Mom,' singles out gimbap as the dish that can properly introduce Korea's flavors to the world. Provided by Hans Media
Gimbap is a familiar food. You spread rice on a sheet of seaweed, add assorted fillings, and roll it up. Yet completing a truly tasty roll is trickier than many expect.
Chef Woo Jung-uk, who appeared as 'Seoul Mom' on Season 2 of the Netflix cooking competition <Culinary Class Wars: The Cooking Class War>, calls gimbap "bibimbap on the move." His premium gimbap shop 'Gajigaji by Superpan' at the Hyundai Department Store's Apgujeong main branch has become a famed gimbap spot in Gangnam.
"Gimbap is the taste of 'mom' and the taste of 'devotion.' It is a food that packs care into each filling, prepared one by one. Think of how much hands-on work it takes to prep and cook all those components. Homemade gimbap is all the more special because it carries the wish to serve a warm, nutritious meal."
Having run the fusion Korean dining spot Superpan and shared home-style recipes, Chef Woo published <The Gimbap Book> to pass on these values to more people. This book prints Korean and English side by side so overseas readers can make gimbap themselves. So what does he consider good gimbap? Here are seven expert techniques that raise a roll's completeness.
The foundation of gimbap is the rice. Woo stresses choosing quality seaweed and rice. Start with twice-roasted seaweed, freshly milled good rice, and fresh vegetables and meat. When cooking the rice, rinse the grains several times to wash off starch, and add a piece of kelp to deepen the aroma. The rice should be cooked so the grains are distinct and not watery, allowing it to harmonize with the other ingredients. Seasoning matters, too. Because gimbap brings many components together, each filling needs to be properly seasoned. The flavors of the rice and fillings should not pull apart; they should blend naturally so each bite tastes full and rounded.
It is crucial that the fillings do not weep moisture. The bulgogi used in gimbap should be well marinated yet low in liquid. If moisture seeps from the meat, the rice turns soggy and the seaweed softens. When stir-frying bulgogi, Woo first melts sugar in the pan before adding the meat to make 'dry-cooked bulgogi' with minimal moisture.
"If you add sugar first and stir, then put in the meat, it coats the surface and the meat cooks through crisp without liquid. Inside gimbap, moisture does not seep out, so it stays delicious to the very last piece."
Standard gimbap often includes seasoned spinach, but Woo uses salt-brined cucumber instead. Vegetable moisture can leach out and change the roll's taste and aroma. Choose firm cucumbers that do not soften easily, and brine them in salted water so a moderate seasoning penetrates and the crunch lasts.
Burdock also adds texture to gimbap. Burdock simmered in a sweet soy sauce keeps the root vegetable's crisp bite. Adding anchovies stir-fried until crunchy both supplies calcium and helps temper heat. When selecting fillings, consider not only flavor but also texture, because gimbap should taste good not just right after rolling but even after some time has passed.
Egg in gimbap is often a wide, thin sheet, but Woo mixes a little mirin into the eggs and uses a multilayer rolled omelet instead. This reduces eggy odors, enhances flavor, and gives a soft, springy texture that asserts the egg's presence in the roll.
"Even with good eggs, you can sometimes get a whiff of egginess and it can be hard to season just right. Add mirin and the yolk's flavor turns clean. Stack several layers of rolled omelet and the soft texture and taste really come alive."
How you cook even a single filling can change the impression of a gimbap. Familiar ingredients can deliver new flavors when you vary the prep and cooking method.
Woo makes active use of jangajji pickles in gimbap. From deodeok jangajji to cabbage and perilla-leaf pickles, he combines them to suit each filling's flavor and texture. The acidity and crunch of jangajji tidy up the richness of meat or oily components, giving gimbap a clean finish.
"A touch of acidity and crunch somewhere in the mix raises a gimbap's overall completeness. Because a clean aftertaste matters, I often use pickles I make myself."
For example, in spicy pork gimbap, he adds cabbage and perilla-leaf pickles to cut the fattiness of pork and keep a refreshing profile. While drawing on traditional ingredients, he thinks carefully about how each component brings out the others.
After rolling, you must seal the end of the seaweed firmly so it does not lift. Woo uses a thin flour paste, brushing it onto the edge of the seaweed. Some mash a few rice grains to glue it, but as they dry they can fall off or leave a bumpy surface. With flour paste, the end seals cleanly and the shape stays neat. He learned this method from staff at his gimbap shop 'Gajigaji.' Rather than clinging only to his own know-how, he adopts and refines practices proven on the line. His approach considers not just taste but also a shape and form that are pleasant to eat.
Gimbap is a food that brings multiple ingredients together at once. That does not mean more is always better. Even with only a few components, Woo prioritizes rolls that are properly seasoned and in balance. How your stomach feels afterward is also a criterion for good gimbap.
The mix of fillings defines a roll's character. In tuna gimbap, add items that brighten and provide a contrasting bite, such as rakkyo, pickled ginger, or wasabi. By placing elements that give sweetness, saltiness, and acidity in the right spots, you can balance the overall taste.
"Like bibimbap, it is essential to visualize the harmony of ingredients inside the gimbap and then try putting them in accordingly."
