ssambap

How to Make Korean rice lettuce wraps (Ssambap)

Ssambap (Korean Rice Lettuce Wraps)

rice

fine sea salt (,

tsp sesame oil

sesame seeds

lettuces

perilla leaves

kale leaves

bok choy leaves

green cabbage

napa cabbage ((yellow leaves, inner part of the cabbage are suitable))

Yak Gochujang ((Stir fried gochujang sauce with beef))

Chamchi Ssamjang ((Korean spicy tuna))

If you’re using fresh green leaves, rinse them well in running water and drain the water well. Depending how you serve, you may want to cut the stem off, so they fold better.If you’re using leaves that are a bit stiff (e.g. cabbage leaves), you may want to steam them first. Here’s how to steam the cabbage.-Peel and remove any tough / damaged outer layers of cabbage leaves.-Cut the cabbage into quarters (from a whole cabbage).-Cut off the core of the cabbage leaves and cut the cabbage wedge length way to further remove the hard stems.-Separate the cabbage leaves from the head.-Rinse the cabbage leaves under running water.-Boil some water in a steamer pot over medium high heat. Once the water is rolling boiling, add the cabbage leaves into the steamer. Steam the leaves until the leaves are soft, about 10 mins.-Remove the steamer from the heat and cool the leaves down for about 5 mins (or until safe to touch) then gently shake of any residue water from the leaves.

Combine the rice and rice seasoning ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix them well. If serving ssambap pre-assembled, scoop out some seasoned rice and make it into a bite sized ball.

Serve the ball of rice on a leaf then top with ssamjang sauce. (You can place the sauce inside of the wrap or outside of the wrap depending how you roll/wrap/serve.)

Got some old kimchi? Make ssambap (rice rolls)! A little extra effort to wrap the rice in tangy, crunch kimchi is well worth the effort! 

Kimchi ssambap (rice rolls)

kimchi leafy parts

onion

carrot

green bell pepper

mushroom caps

beef

oil fry

soy sauce

sesame oil

salt and pepper

Squeeze out the liquid from the kimchi, and cut off the thick white part. Alternatively, rinse the kimchi leaves in cold water and squeeze out the liquid.

For the kimchi

Finely chop the vegetables.

Heat a lightly oiled pan over medium heat. Cook the ground beef, breaking up into small pieces, until it turns brown, about 2 minutes. Add a tablespoon of the oil and the vegetables. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 2 minutes.

Add the rice and soy sauce. Stir-fry until all the ingredients are evenly distributed, and the clumped up rice is broken up, 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly season with salt and pepper (remember kimchi is salty). Stir in the sesame oil and seeds at the end.

When the fried rice is cool enough to handle, make small rolls by pressing between your palms. The size of the rolls should depend on the size of your kimchi.

For the fried rice (or simply season the rice with salt and sesame oil to taste)

Place a kimchi leaf on a cutting board. Lay a rice ball near the cut part of the kimchi. Wrap the kimchi around the rice roll, folding in the sides. Roll up all the way. Repeat until all the rice or kimchi is used up.

To assemble

Ssambap is a rustic Korean lettuce wrap with rice and it is a healthy home-style meal. Rice is wrapped with variety of lettuce and leaves, then topped with fish topping sauce. A canned mackerel pike is handy for this recipe

Korean Lettuce Wraps (Ssambap) with Fish Topping Sauce

leafy leaves

multi-grain rice or brown rice

mackerel pike or tuna (drained but reserving 3 Tbsp liquid)

zucchini (chopped)

garlic

canola oil

water

green chili (chopped, optional)

green onion (chopped, optional)

Korean soybean paste (doenjang) (doenjang)

Korean chili paste (gochujang) (gochujang)

Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) (gochugaroo)

tsp sugar

sweet rice wine (mirim) (optional)

pepper

Combine all the seasoning ingredients in a small mixing bowl, set aside.

In a small sauce pan, saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until soft. Add the fish, reserved juice, and the water and bring to boil.

Add the sauce to the pan and stir. Add the zucchini and bring to boil again. Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until the mixture thickens a little.

Add the chili and green onion, if using, and let it cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and let it cool. It will thicken more as it cools.

To serve the dish, place 1 tablespoonful of rice in the middle of lettuce, top with the fish topping sauce, about 1/2 Tbsp, and gently bunch the lettuce together and eat in ONE bite!

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Ssambap (Korean Rice Lettuce Wraps)

Kimchi ssambap (rice rolls)

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Top 3 ssambap recipes from across the web

The most viewed ssambap recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Ssambap (Korean Rice Lettuce Wraps)

Kimchi ssambap (rice rolls)

Korean Lettuce Wraps (Ssambap) with...

The most viewed ssambap recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine