Nachae kimbap – Naked cucumber rolls

cucumber rolls

A favourite with kids and adults alike, these easy rolls look extra fancy with the rice on the outside!

Now you might be wondering about the name (a little risque, I must say!) My yobo says they are called ‘naked’ kimbap in Korea since you can’t see the seaweed on the outside.  Personally, I always think of them as ‘inside-out’, like they have their shirts on inside out.

Since you taste the rice first and the crunch of the cucumber, if you have someone in your life (or maybe even you) who is leery to try rice rolls because of the texture or taste of the seaweed, naked kimbap is a great introduction.

Yield: 4 rolls of nachae kimbap

The time you need: prep: 20 mins (for rice to cook) rolling: 10 mins

The things you need: (to make 4 rolls)

  • 2 cups of rice (4 cups cooked rice).
  • 4 sheets of kim (seaweed)
  • 1/2 a cucumber
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • sesame seeds to garnish

The prep:

  • make the rice. For a great tutorial on how to sticky rice, click here
  • once the rice is cooked, let the rice cool slightly and add the sesame oil and salt
  • cut the cucumber into really thin long pieces discarding the seeds (they just make things watery!)

The assembly:

  • lay the seaweed, kim, on a bamboo roller.  (If you don’t have one, don’t stress.  I just find it does make it easier but they can be made without one.)
  • scoop 1 cup of rice on the seaweed
  • spread it out evenly covering the entire piece of seaweed
  • flatten and smooth it out with the spatula
  • IMPORTANT STEP: cover the rice with a piece of saran wrap and flip it over so the seaweed is facing up! (You may have seen this being done at a sushi restaurant. I have tried to do it without the saran wrap and it was a sticky mess! 🙂 )
  • layer 1/4 of the cucumbers at the top of the rice
  • carefully make a roll over the cucumbers  (Be sure to not roll the saran wrap along with it…. not that I know from experience!)
  • continue to roll the nice and tight. When it is all rolled, use the saran wrap and the bamboo roller to give it a tight squeeze
  • allow the roll to rest a few minutes (while you roll the other ones) and cut with a sharp knife
  • arrange, garnish with sesame seeds and pat yourself on the back!

cucumber rolls

Enjoy!


5 thoughts on “Nachae kimbap – Naked cucumber rolls

  1. Ohh, this is such a good snack idea! I occasionally make sushi/kimbap, but I’ve never tried the “naked” version. I shall have to try it out next time. 🙂

Love to hear what you think!