Bulgogi Kimbap with Winter Ambrosia-Seasoned Rice #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Quail & Olive.
Complimentary product was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.
However, all opinions expressed here are my own.

 

If you have been following me for awhile, or even just a little while, you might know that I am a huge proponent of using what you have on-hand. So, when I made kimbap for my mom's birthday last month, I reached for the Winter Ambrosia Vinegar from The Quail & Olive* instead of my mirin to use in the rice. Not traditional, obviously, but just as delicious...and local to me!

Winter Ambrosia starts with organic apples and pears and offers a sweet-tart flavor to dishes. Besides when I made Bulgogi-Inspired Beef Jerky, I used apples to tenderize the beef; using pears is traditional. So, that's not too far out in left field on the flavor profile, right?

Seasoned Rice

Ingredients serves 8

• 4 cups short grain rice (sushi rice)
• 4 cups water plus more for soaking
• 1/3 cup Winter Ambrosia 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.

on the web, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter

*Disclosure: I receive compensation in the form of complimentary products for recipe development 

and generating social media traction. All opinions are my own.