Bulgogi Kimbap with Seasoned Rice #FoodieExtravaganza

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

Posting day for #FoodieExtravaganza is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

Since September is National Rice Month, I decided to ask the bloggers to share their favorite recipes or cooking tips. Here's the Foodie Extravanganza's rice-filled line-up...

• Arroz Rojo (Mexican Red Rice) by Palatable Pastime
• Beetroot Pulao by Magical Ingredients
• Bulgogi Kimbap with Seasoned Rice by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Curry Doria (Japanese Curry Rice Gratin) by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Kimchi Fried Rice by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Rice Pudding by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Southwest Rice Salad by Our Good Life
• Vangi Bath/Eggplant (Brinjal) Rice by Sneha's Recipe

Seasoned Rice

Seasoned rice has many uses, but I usually use it as a base for sushi or for a poke bowl. In this case, I used it to make Korean-style rice rolls called kimbap.

Ingredients serves 8

• 4 cups short grain rice (sushi rice)
• 4 cups water plus more for soaking
• 1/3 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar or other white vinegar
• 5 Tablespoons organic granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• Also needed: paper fans, wooden spoons, and a non-aluminum pan

Procedure

Wash rice and soak in water 2 hours or longer. Once you're ready to cook, drain the rice and set aside.

Put water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add drained rice. Mix well, cover, and bring to a boil again Turn heat very low and steam 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes after turning off heat. Turn the rice into a large, wide bowl or pan.

Heat vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Cool and fold into hot rice being careful not to mash the rice grains. Fan the rice and cool completely. The rice should be coated with the vinegar and glossy.

Bulgogi Kimbap

Note that this isn't traditional bulgogi; it's ground beef with bulgogi seasonings. But it's quick and lends all of the delicious flavor of bulgogi to this roll.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 pound organic, grass-fed ground beef
• 2 Tablespoons organic granulated sugar
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
• 5 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (I used a mixture of white and black sesame seeds)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• thinly sliced vegetables, both cooked, raw, and pickled (I used fresh cucumbers, pickled sprouts, pickled radish, sauteed spinach)
• rolled egg omelet (this one), optional
• a batch of seasoned rice
• seaweed sheets (nori)
• Also needed: sushi rolling mat

Procedure

Heat 2 Tablespoons sesame oil in a large skillet. Crumble the ground beef into the pan.  Sprinkle in the sugar and fold in the garlic. Cook until the beef is completely browned and no pink remains. Stir in the soy sauce, green onions, and sesame seeds. Season with black pepper and set aside.

Place a sushi rolling mat on a work surface and top with a sheet of nori. Scoop 3/4 cup rice on the sheet and press rice to the edge of the nori. 

Arrange a small amount of fillings in a row about 1-1/2" from bottom edge of nori sheet. 

Roll up rice mixture over filling, using the bamboo mat to lift and compress the mixture while rolling until you  have a uniform cylinder. 

Place the roll, seam-side down, onto a cutting board. With a sharp knife, slice the rolls into eight pieces.

That's a wrap for this month's #FoodieExtravaganza. Stay tuned for next month's culinary adventures.