Gimbap is one of the classic between-meals in Korea that is made by spreading cooked rice onto a sheet of dried laver and putting strips of other ingredients including ham, carrot, cucumber, and yellow pickled radish on top of the rice. It is convenient to eat and has been a popular dish for a lunch box for a picnic or excursion. It is also good in terms of nutritional benefits because it includes various vegetables. Recently, there are various versions of gimbap using other unconventional ingredients such as kimchi, tuna, and cheese. These versions are also getting popular. As the summer, so-called the season of dieting, approaches, Rain, a famous Korean singer and a momjjang(Korean slang for someone who is in good shape), introduced a recipe for dak-gaseumsal gimbap(gimbap with chicken breasts) as a secret for keeping in shape.

Main Ingredients(two servings): 2 bowls of cooked rice, 4 sheets of dried laver, 8 perilla leaves, 8 seasoned burdock strips, 2 crab sticks, 1 cucumber, 2 loafs of chicken breasts, 4 sticks of yellow pickled radish, 1/3 carrot, 3 eggs

Sub-ingredients(sauce): 1 tbsp sesame oil, a pinch of salt, a pinch of roasted sesame seed

Cooking time: 25 min. or less

Calories: 500 kcal(per serving)

#Recipe

Tip

If you hesitate to take carb while on a diet, it is still good to make gimbap only using chicken breasts and vegetables without cooked rice.

#Gimbap, Another Word for Picnic

Gimbap is the first food that comes into mind when it comes to picnic. You can easily find lots of people eating gimbap out of their meal boxes at some most crowded places like amusement parks or zoos. Gimbap has been there for a long time as a classic picnic food. A relatively simple and easy recipe contributes to such a long-lasting popularity. Further, it is convenient to carry around and is also easy to clean up after eating it.

On top of that, it is delicious and healthy. It is made with various vegetables as main ingredients and loved by many even including children who do not usually eat vegetables. Gimbap can be modified in many ways depending on ingredients to be added. There are bulgogi gimbap(gimbap with bulgogi) and chamchi gimbap(gimbap with tuna and mayonnaise) just to name a few. They are classified as premium gimbap.

*Additional Info:

Laver, A Black Semiconductor from the Sea

Laver, which is the main ingredient for gimbap, is also called the semiconductor of the sea. As a salty yet nourishing, low-calorie food, the laver is thus enjoying high popularity from foreign markets. It has now become one of the cash cows raking in high profits from export. That’s why it is likened to Korean semiconductors which are one of the major Korean export items. Recently, the seasonings for laver have more diversified. For example, there are many other types of laver with different seasonings including spicy dried laver with chili, wasabi-flavored laver, and gim-bugak(dried laver chips) made by applying glutinous rice onto dried laver. They are getting attention as well-being snacks from overseas markets.

#Becoming a Momjjang only with Chicken Breasts

Chicken breasts are a cut of chicken that is the least fatty and contains an ample amount of protein. It has become one of the essentials for those who work out hard. It contains 23 to 30g of protein per 100g. So, considering that the required daily protein intake for an adult male is 70 to 84g, only a 100g lump of chicken breasts suffices to fill half the required daily protein intake. Chicken breasts can create a synergy effect along with vegetables because the chicken meat is rich in protein and vegetables are a repository of vitamins. They are a nutritionally well-balanced source of the food supply. Chicken breasts are tender and taste light and are thus easily digestible. Chicken breasts that are thick-fleshed, glazed, and have the springy texture are the freshest ones. However, the ones too white are old and it is thus good to choose ones in light pink.