How to Make Namseon Gimbap at Home: A Korean Rice Roll You’ll Crave Again

Table of Contents

- Introduction to “Gimbap (김밥)”

- Recipe - Ryu Soo-young’s “Namseon Gimbap (남선김밥)”

• Cooking Video

• Main Ingredients

• Seasoning

• Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions

- The Flavor and Nutrition of Gimbap

[Appendix] Translated Video Script

[Photo Credit] KBS, New Release, Fun-Staurant

Gimbap is an affordable and convenient Korean dish you can easily grab at any local market—it’s the perfect quick meal.

But today, why not make it yourself home and turn it into your special creation?

It takes time and effort, but food made with care never disappoints—neither your family nor yourself.

 

Introduction to “Gimbap (김밥)”

The word Gimbap means “seaweed rice.”

But don’t be fooled by the name's simplicity—this roll contains multitudes.

Think of it as Korea’s ultimate rice roll:

Steamed rice seasoned with sesame oil and salt is layered with colorful vegetables, pickled radish, protein, and sometimes even cheese or spicy chili, all neatly wrapped in roasted seaweed (gim).

It’s affordable, easy to carry, and endlessly customizable.

You’ll find Gimbap everywhere in Korea—from convenience stores to upscale bistros, from mom’s picnic basket to university campus snack shops. But Ryu Soo-young’s version? That’s a home-cooked masterpiece.

 

Recipe - Ryu Soo-young’s “Namseon Gimbap (남선김밥)”

 

📺 Video - Ryu Soo-young’s “Namseon Gimbap”, New Release, Fun-Staurant

[Source] YouTube, KBS Entertain

 

Unfortunately, this recipe doesn’t include exact measurements. I kindly ask for your understanding and encourage you to rely on your cooking experience and intuition.

As a reference, the portion shown in the video is enough to make about 7 ~ 8 kimbap rolls.

 

🛒 Main Ingredients

• Black rice (white rice is also fine)

• 3 carrots

• 2 cucumbers

• 13 eggs

• Bulgogi-flavored ham (store-bought, for gimbap)

• Pickled radish strips (store-bought, for gimbap)

• Seasoned burdock root (store-bought, for gimbap)

• Imitation crab sticks (store-bought)

• Gimbap seaweed (roasted, unseasoned)

• Aluminum foil

 

⚖️ Seasoning

• Sesame oil

• Flavored salt (different from coarse or regular salt)

• Sugar

• Vinegar

📖 Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions

Rice Preparation

- Always cook fresh rice. Using leftover rice won’t give you authentic gimbap flavor.

- Add just a little black rice—or skip it if you have none.

- Use 10% less water than usual to cook firmer rice.

 

Ingredient Preparation

- You’ll need a lot of carrots—don’t be shy.

- Julienne 3 carrots.

- Julienne 2 cucumbers using a slicer. Season with a 1:1 ratio of sugar and vinegar, plus a pinch of flavored salt.

- Prepare store-bought crab sticks, bulgogi-flavored ham, pickled radish, and burdock.

 

🐾 Note: Spinach is the traditional choice, but Ryu Soo-young replaced it with cucumber because it’s simpler to prep.

 

Stir-Frying

- Generously coat a pan with oil—even more than you think—and sauté the carrots.

- Once softened, season lightly with flavored salt.

- Use the same carrot oil to stir-fry the bulgogi-flavored ham.

- Beat 13 eggs with a pinch of flavored salt.

- Pour the eggs into the pan greased with leftover carrot oil.

- Drizzle remaining carrot oil on top.

- Cover with a lid and cook over low heat until the eggs are fully set.

 

Seasoning the Rice

- Mix the cooked rice with more flavored salt and sesame oil than expected. Stir well.

 

🐾 Tip from Ryu Soo-young: Don’t skimp on the seasoning! Bland rice = bland gimbap.

 

Rolling the Gimbap

- Gimbap seaweed is rectangular. For a clean roll without bursting rice, lay it vertically.

- Lay seaweed on foil. Place 150g of rice on top and spread it evenly.

- Top with a thick slice of egg and a strip of burdock.

- Add as many carrots as you like—the more, the better!

- Add pickled radish, crab stick, and cucumber.

- Press down gently and roll it up tightly.

- Wrap it once in foil and press to compact.

- Dab water on the seaweed edge, remove the foil, and finish the roll.

- Slice and plate it beautifully. Share with family and friends!

 

📌 Cooking Tips

- Always cook fresh rice for gimbap, and never use leftovers. The rice determines the quality of the whole roll.

- Carrots are a must—the more, the better. Use carrot oil to fry the other ingredients.

- Use flavored salt, not regular table salt. It’s fine-grained and has MSG, which enhances the overall flavor.

- Buy gimbap-specific ingredients like ham, pickled radish, and burdock at Korean grocery stores.

- Use roasted, unseasoned seaweed made specifically for gimbap.

- Season each component individually. Store-bought items are pre-seasoned, but anything you cook should be properly seasoned for balance.

 

🍽️ Enjoying the Dish

Gimbap can be a bit dry on the throat, especially with lots of rice and veggies.

Always have water or a drink nearby. Trust me—you’ll thank yourself.

 

🐾 You can purchase all the ingredients and seasonings at a Korean market.

 

- If you need to, please read and refer to the following post introducing Korean ingredients and seasonings.

 

🔖 The Ultimate Guide to Korean Seasonings and Sauces for Home Cooks

 

The Flavor and Nutrition of Gimbap

Ryu Soo-young’s Namseon Gimbap balances bold flavor with thoughtful nutrition. Here’s what goes into it—and why it works.

 

Why it’s nutritious

While Gimbap may seem like a treat, it’s surprisingly balanced:

- Whole vegetables give fiber and vitamins

- Eggs and ham provide protein

- Seaweed adds minerals like iodine

- Black rice is richer in antioxidants than white rice

And unlike sushi, Gimbap doesn’t rely on raw fish or soy sauce. That makes it an excellent option for vegetarians (with tweaks), picnickers, or kids’ lunchboxes.

 

“If your rice is bland, your Gimbap is doomed.” – Chef Ryu Soo-young

 

This dish may look humble, but every element—carrot oil, sesame-flavored rice, and the golden egg—contributes to a symphony of textures and flavors.

And when you realize you’ve just devoured half a roll without meaning to? Welcome to the Gimbap club. 😄

 

[Appendix] Translated Video Script

I have translated only Ryu Soo-young's dialogue from the cooking session. Please refer to it.

 

🗣️ Transcript Video

 

0:05

흑미를 좀 섞으면 이게 좀 더 고소 하더라고. 많이 섞으면 또 시컴해 지니까.

If you mix in some black rice, it tastes nuttier. But if you add too much, it gets too dark.

0:12

남은 밥으로 김밥을 하는 순간 아무도 안 먹어요.

The moment you make gimbap with leftover rice, no one wants to eat it.

0:17

김밥이니까 당연히 물은 한 10% 덜 넣었어요.

Since it’s gimbap, I used about 10% less water when cooking the rice.

0:25

11시다. (아내 박하선 배우의 라디오 프로그램 청취)

It’s 11 o’clock. (Listening to his wife Park Ha-sun’s radio show)

0:33

얼마 전에 백상 시상식에 갔다와서 보니까….

Not long ago, I went to the Baeksang Arts Awards and noticed something…

0:43

기분 좋았어요. 오랜만에 같은 직업인 게 되게 즐거웠어

It felt great. It was so lovely to be among fellow actors after a while.

0:51

그 화장실도 같이 가고 너무 좋았어

We even went to the restroom together—it was lovely.

0:53

중간에 쉬는 시간에 뻘쭘하잖아

It gets awkward during intermissions.

0:54

누군가 얘기해야 될 것 같고 아니면 가만히 있거나

You feel like someone has to talk, or you sit there silently.

0:56

난 당연히 와이프한테 가서 화장실 간데서 같이 갔다 오고 그리고

So naturally, I just went over to my wife and we went to the restroom together.

0:59

예쁘게 하고 있으니까, 즐거우니까 사진 찍기도 좋고

She was all dressed up and happy, so it was a perfect photo moment.

1:01

그날 워낙 예쁘게 꾸미고 있어가지고 막 찍어도 화 보더라고

She looked so beautiful that day, even random shots looked great.

1:06

제가 찍어 준 거예요.

I took that photo myself.

1:08

이거는 저번에 제가 찍어줬어요.

This one, too—I took it the other day.

1:11

어 내가 많이 찍어줘요. 와이프도 뭐 찍어야 될 일이 있을 때 나한테 의뢰를 하면 내가 조명까지 세팅해서 열심히 찍어줘요

Yeah, I take a lot of pictures. If my wife needs something photographed, she asks me, and I even set up lighting for her.

1:25

네 다 직접 찍은 거에요

Yes, I took all those myself.

1:28

좋아요, 만개 넘게 박혔어요. 그래서 되게 고마워했어요

That post got over 10,000 likes. She was really thankful.

1:33

그러면 제일 먼저 당근을 볶는 건데

So the first thing you sauté is the carrots.

1:40

시장 가면은 마약 김밥 있잖아요

You know those "addictive gimbaps" at traditional markets?

1:43

그것도 당근 맛이거든

Those get their flavor mainly from carrots.

1:46

잘 익히면 호불호가 없고요. 거의 대부분의 김밥 맛집은 핵심이 당근일 때가 많아요

If cooked well, carrots are not disliked. In fact, carrots are the key ingredient at most famous gimbap spots.

1:56

당근을 생각보다 많이 해야 돼. 당근을 많이 넣으면 맛있어요. 거의 두 줄에 한 개씩 들어가요

You need more carrots than you think. The more, the better—it’s about one carrot per two rolls.

2:09

기름 많이 넣으세요. 아주 넉넉히

Use plenty of oil—be generous.

2:18

먹어요 먹는데 다시 뱉어 내요 또 저렇게 노란 국물을

They eat oil but spit it out again because of that yellow liquid.

2:25

여기다가 소금 간을 꼭 해야 돼요

You have to season this with salt.

2:27

그 간이 합쳐져야 맛있어요

The flavors need to blend for it to taste good.

2:30

다 따로 놀고 막 단무지랑 우엉만 튀면 안 돼. 간이 비슷해야지 안 튀어요

If the seasoning is inconsistent, only the pickled radish or burdock stands out—and that’s not good.

2:34

그래야 와작하고 맛있어요. 맛의 레이어드!

It has to be crunchy and flavorful—layered in taste!

2:41

김밥에는 어지간하면 맛소금 쓰세요 아 그럼

For gimbap, you should really use flavored salt.

2:43

김밥에 맛소금 넣어야 돼요. 이거는 어 굵은 소금 쓰거나 하는 순간 망해요

You need flavored salt for gimbap—using coarse salt can ruin everything.

2:50

소금 90%에 미원(MSG) 9.6% 들어 있는 거야

It’s 90% salt and 9.6% MSG.

2:56

정제 소금에다가 약간 MSG 들어가 있는 건데. 요리가 좀 더 쉬워지는 장점이 있어요

It’s refined salt with a bit of MSG, making cooking easier.

3:02

굵은 소금 쓰면은 녹는데 시간이 걸리고, 굵은 가루가 툭툭툭 떨어지면 툭툭툭 짤 수 있겠죠

Using coarse salt takes time to dissolve; the food might become too salty if the grains fall in clumps.

3:12

김밥햄 불고기 맛

Gimbap ham with bulgogi flavor.

3:16

숯불고기 맛이나 불고기 맛이 좋아요. 일반 햄보다는 그게 나아요

Charcoal-grilled or bulgogi-flavored ham is better—it’s tastier than regular ham.

3:27

당근 기름, 저 기름을 쓰세요

Use that carrot oil—use that oil.

3:31

음, 그래서 기름을 많이 낸 거예요

That’s why I used a lot of oil.

3:34

난 당근에 나온 그 기름이 되게 좋더라고요

I really like the oil that comes out of the carrots.

3:38

그거를 끝까지 쓰겠다는 거죠

I’m determined to use that oil to the very end.

3:40

당근에 소금을 넣고 볶은 기름은 그 자체로 되게 향미유가 돼요

The oil left from sautéing carrots with salt becomes a flavorful oil.

3:51

햄이 들어가야 또 좋더라고요

Adding ham makes it better, too.

3:55

재료를 한 눈에 보기 쉽게 해 놓는 게 되게 중요하더라고요. 그러면 일이 편해져

It’s essential to lay out the ingredients clearly; everything gets easier.

4:00

우엉하고 단무지 세트로 된 거 있잖아요. 편하게 하자. 김밥을 자주하는 1인으로서 시금치를 잘 안 삶아요

You know those sets with burdock and pickled radish? Let’s keep it simple. As someone who makes gimbap often, I usually skip spinach.

4:09

스팀에서 찬물에 헹구고 또 무치는 과정이 하나의 다른 요리라서 저는 그냥 오이를 해요

Steaming, rinsing in cold water, and seasoning are like another dish entirely, so I just use cucumber instead.

4:17

채칼 쓰세요

Use a mandoline slicer.

4:20

이럼 빨리 절여지기도 하고

That way, it picks faster, too.

4:21

동량(같은 양)으로 넣으면 돼요. 설탕이랑 식초랑

Use equal amounts of sugar and vinegar.

4:27

소금

And salt.

4:31

달걀 샐러드랑 똑같이 하시면 돼요 (다른 방송의 달걀 셀러드 레시피)

Just do it like you would for egg salad (referring to another show’s recipe).

4:32

돼요 똑같이 하면 돼 아 근데 저거

It’s fine—just follow that. But, well…

4:35

그럼 저 오이만 오이만 가지고도 맛있게 돼요

Even just with that cucumber, it turns out delicious.

4:38

이제 계란 붙이면 돼요

Now, time to cook the eggs.

4:41

아 여기서 잠깐

Ah—hold on a second.

 

(How to Identify the Production Date and Grade of Eggs in Korea)

5:35

김밥 할 때 계란을 넉넉하게 써야 돼요

You need to use plenty of eggs when making gimbap.

5:40

됐어됐어 계란 지단에 소금(맛소금) 반드시 넣어야 돼요

All right, you must add flavored salt to the egg sheets.

6:01

두껍게 붙이려고요

I’m going to make it thick.

6:04

난 당근 기름이 너무 맛있더라

That carrot oil tastes amazing to me.

 

(He made a thick egg sheet.)

6:38

두꺼워

It’s thick.

6:44

잘됐어요

It turned out great.

6:49

흑미로 하면 확실히 고소해

Using black rice definitely makes it nuttier.

6:52

김밥은 김밥이라는 제목처럼 밥이 다해요. 그래서 김밥이 맛이 없는 이유는 밥이 너무 싱거울 경우가 많아요

As the name suggests, Gimbap is all about the bap (rice). Often, it tastes bland because the rice lacks seasoning.

7:03

밥 간을 잘하면 돼요

You just need to season the rice well.

7:11

참기름 많이 넣어야 돼

You have to use a lot of sesame oil.

7:21

한 솥에 반 컵 (100ml). 밥만 먹어도 맛 있어야 돼요

Half a cup (100ml) for a whole pot. Even the rice alone should taste good.

7:27

재료는 거들뿐이에요

The other ingredients are just supporting roles.

7:30

이거는 대중은 없는데 내가 예상하는 거보다 좀 더 넣으면 돼요

There’s no standard here—just add more than you think.

7:36

(밥이 맛었어서) 무릎을 쳐야 돼요. 밥만 먹고도 어이쿠야 이렇게 돼야 돼

It should be so good that you slap your knee and go, “Oh wow!”—just from the rice.

7:42

다른 게 있다고 싱겁게 밥을 하면은 맛이 없어지기 시작해

If you under-season the rice, thinking other ingredients will compensate, it ruins the taste.

7:47

간간 해야 돼요 (간이 적당해야 돼요)

It should be slightly salty and properly seasoned.

7:50

간 맞아요?

Is the seasoning right?

7:51

(카메라 감독) 응 맛있어요.

(Camera director) Yeah, it’s good.

7:52

간간하죠?

It’s nicely seasoned, right?

8:00

이렇게 약간 간간해야 돼. 짜면 안돼요. 좀 안전하게 안 터지게 하겠다 싶으면

It should be slightly seasoned like this, not salty. If you want to play it safe and avoid it falling apart…

8:11

근데 저렇게 까지가 저 재료는 한 시간 정도면 돼요

Up to that point, the prep takes about an hour.

8:15

김은 그냥 구운 김 쓰시면 돼요. 구운 김

Just use roasted seaweed. Roasted seaweed.

 

(He is talking about the direction in which to roll the gimbap. But you can roll it vertically to keep the sides from bursting open.)

8:48

저는 김발을 잘 안 써요. 사실은

I don’t really use a bamboo mat, to be honest.

8:51

이거를 이렇게 해서 만 다음에, 막 이렇게 주물러. 그러면 떡이 돼요.

People roll it like this, then squeeze it into a rice cake.

8:59

가뜩이나 우리나라 쌀은 찰기가 있는데 더 눌러 버리면 그냥 김 떡이야!

Korean rice is already sticky, so pressing it even more turns it into a rice block!

9:09

김발을 이용해서 너무 꽉 돌리니까 떡이 돼요

Using a bamboo mat to roll too tightly makes it like a rice cake.

9:11

한 번만 싹 말고 끝내야 되는데

You should just roll it once and be done.

9:24

테니스공 그래 이거 150g이야 이건, 이건 보나마나 150g, 이건 보나마나 150g

A tennis ball—yeah, this is 150g. Definitely 150g.

9:54

딱 테니스공 만하네요 테니스공 만하면 150g

It’s exactly the size of a tennis ball—150g.

9:59

공을 만들어서 이렇게 펴야 돼, 항상

Make a ball and flatten it like this, always.

10:01

이렇게 하면 (밥을 직접 덜어서 김 위에 올리면) 답도 안 나와. 매번 헷갈려. 근데 보통 집에서 할 때 보시면 200g 가까이 넣게 돼요.

You'll get inconsistent results if you scoop rice and put it on the seaweed. At home, people often end up using close to 200g.

10:09

펴다 보면 그러면은 맛이 없어져요, 또

When you spread too much rice, the taste suffers.

10:16

우와! 어마어마해요.

Wow! That’s massive.

10:19

계란은 클수록 맛있는 거 같아요

I think the bigger the egg, the better it tastes.

10:30

저만큼 넣으면 맛있어요

If you add that much, it tastes great.

10:37

요거만 잘 잡으세요. 잡아서 이렇게 누르면 돼.

Just get a good grip here—press it down like this.

10:42

그래서 처음에 누르는 게 중요해요. 이렇게 해서 여기만 접착을 잘 시켜 주는 거예요. 이렇게

That first press is important. Do it like this and seal this part well.

10:48

이거만 잘 눌러요. 자 봐봐. 이렇게 띄면 이렇게 붙어 있죠. 그 다음에 물칠을 요렇게 해요

Just press here—see? It stays attached. Then dab a bit of water here like this.

10:57

반드시 물칠을 하고 그냥 말면 돼요.

Be sure to moisten it and just roll it up.

11:03

진짜 기본 김밥이 제일 무서운(어려운) 거야. 내가 그래서 특별한 거보다 당근 이렇게 실컷 한 주먹씩 넣고

Honestly, basic gimbap is the hardest. That’s why I pack in a handful of carrots instead of fancy stuff.

11:18

밥만 간 잘하면 (성공해요)

As long as the rice is seasoned well, you’ll succeed.