Chungmu Kimbap (충무 김밥)
On Saturday some of our friends had a pot-luck. There was plenty of food to choose from, chicken soup, risotto, apple pie. For my contribution, I decided to make Chungmu kimbap which comes from Tongyeong on the southwest coast of Korea. Why not call it Tongyeong kimbap? Because Tongyeong was originally called Chungmu to honour Admiral Yi Sun-shin. In 1995, Chungmu and the surrounding areas were amalgamated and became Tongyong. The kimbap, however, got to keep its name. I went to the Battle of Hasan Festival last year with a friend, and we learned of this treat from the local tourism center near the Tongyeong bus station. After watching the re-enactment and light show, we found a crowded little restaurant downtown called Ddungbo Halmae Kimbap jip (뚱보할매 김밥 집). Literally, ‘Fat grandmother kimbap house’. There was a black and white photo of an old Korean grandmother on the sign which sold us on the place. So we went in and enjoyed a meal.
Unlike other varieties of kimbap which are stuffed with vegetables, eggs and meat, Chungmu kimbap has only rice but is served with marinated squid and radish kimchi. When I told K about my choice, she balked: ‘ Baaabe! I hate squid!’ Too bad, my mind was made up. Usually, when I cook, I go to Emart to pick up the ingredients, but this time I thought it would be interesting to go to the traditional market. Though K had reservations about my choice, she was really looking forward to watching me clean squid, but I put my Korean lessons to work:
Me: 아주머니, 어징어 깨끗한은 잘 모르겠어요. (Ajumeoni, I don’t know how to clean squid).
도와주시겠어요? (Can you help me?)
Ajumeoni: 네. (Yes/Okay/Sure.)
The lady understood, and with a few deft strokes of her knife, I had two fresh, cleaned squid. We went back home, where I gathered my recipes and set about making my own version of Chungmu Kimbap. Overall it was an easy and quick dish to make. K tried a piece, and she actually liked it! I pleased to say that my plate was almost entirely empty at the end of the potluck.
Chungmu Kimbap (충무 김밥) | |
Squid Sauce
Just mix the above ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Blanched Squid
Clean the squid and rinse it under cold water, Be sure to cut the suckers from the tentacles, or else your squid is going to be crunchy. To remove the skin, just watch a couple of videos on youtube to get an idea of how to do it. My technique must have been horrible because it took me over twenty minutes just to do one the first time, but years later when I made this recipe in Doha, things went much better. Practice makes perfect I guess. Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan, and add salt. Next, add the squid. It only needs to be cooked for 2.5 to 3 minutes. The longer past three you go, the tougher the squid becomes. Remove the squid from the water and cut the squid into bite-sized pieces. Put the squid in the marinade bowl and set aside. Chungmu Kimbap Rolls
Wash and rinse the rice (I usually do this a couple of times). Using a saucepan or rice cooker, add water to the rice and check the level with your finger index finger. Dip your finger into the water until your fingertip touches the rice. The water should level should be right what your fingernail begins on the knuckle. This is how I was taught to prepare rice by my Korean friends. If you’re using a rice cooker, just wait until the cooker finishes, about 30 minutes. If you’re using a saucepan, it’ll still be about 30 minutes. Once the rice is cooked, fluff it and wait a few minutes for it to cool a little. To make the rice rolls (kimbap), you will need a bamboo mat. Place the mat on a flat surface and your sheet of laver on the mat. Spread a thin layer of rice over about one-third of the laver sheet. Using the mat, roll the sheet to make your kimbap. You can cut away the excess laver. If you’ve done it right, the cross section will have a diameter of maybe 2 cm. I recommend watching a couple of youtube videos to see how it’s done. Once you’re finished making the kimbap, the meal is ready to be served. Eat with toothpicks and enjoy! |