[Korean Recipes] Gim Gui - Roasted Seaweed

Roasted seaweed or 김구이 gim gui is usually eaten with rice as banchan (side dish) or as snack. I’m sure you’ve seen little packet of salty roasted seaweed sold in supermarket and have even bought and eat it. The funny thing is when I was holidaying in South Korea I was never offered gim gui as side dish.

I know how to roast seaweed. It’s just as simple as placing the seaweed on a pan or open flame but I never find out how to preserve the crispiness because mine will go limp after a couple of minutes. It must be Malaysia’s humidity. Then came Maangchi with her roasted seaweed recipe and now I know how to make the roasted seaweed remain crispy for a long time except when it’s expose to Malaysia’s humidity again.

Roasted seaweed ~ gim gui!

Let’s cook!

Salt in a small bowl and cooking oil + sesame oil mixture in another bowl. Place few sheets of paper towel in front of you as a workplace when working on the seaweed.

Use your hand or brush and spread the oil + sesame mixture on the seaweed sheet (1 side only). Top with a small pinch of salt. Repeat with the remaining 19 seaweed sheets.

Roll up the seaweed sheets.

Reason for doing this is for the paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

Heat a large pan with small flame. Place a sheet of seaweed on the pan and leave it for about 5 seconds until the bottom side turn crispy and green. Flip the other side and leave it for 5 seconds.

Remove from heat and put on a plate. Repeat with the rest of the seaweed sheets.

Be careful when handling the sheet during roasting. Sometimes the seaweed sheet can curl up.

My roasted seaweed.

Cut them into bite size pieces and serve with rice or as side dish. Store the leftovers in ziplock or airtight container and then freeze it. Take out from freezer whenever you need it.

Did ya notice my seaweed sheets are not really green after roasting? (unlike Maangchi’s one) Plus it doesn’t taste as nice as store-bought ones. I think it’s because my seaweed sheets are past its best and had oxidize.

Those seaweed sheets which I keep in freezer are crispy and the problem start once I take them out because they will wilt in a couple of minutes (okay I know humidity plays a role). So one thing still left me perplex is that why store-bought seaweed sheet can remain crispy after a long time once the package is open (even in Malaysia’s humidity) but not my homemade roasted seaweed. Must be something they put inside? Hmmm?? Plastic?

Btw if you store the roasted seaweed in the freezer, make sure to eat it within a month or two or it will go rancid.

Gim Gui – Roasted Seaweed

Adapted from maangchi

20 sheets of gim (seaweed sheets – the type that you use for sushi)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Combine cooking oil and sesame oil in a small bowl. In another small bowl, place the salt.

2. Place few sheet of paper towels in front of you so you can work on the seaweed sheets without dirtying your table.

3. Put a sheet of seaweed on the paper towel. Using your hand or brush, spread a thin layer of oil + sesame mixture on the seaweed sheet (1 side only). Sprinkle some salt over it.

4. Repeat the same process until all 20 seaweed sheets have been oiled and seasoned with salt.

5. Roll the seasoned seaweed sheets up in the paper towel so that it soaks the excess oil. Leave aside.

6. Heat a large pan (large enough to fit your seaweed sheet) with small flame.

7. Place a sheet of seaweed sheet on the pan. Leave it for about 5 seconds until the bottom turn crispy and green. Flip the other side and leave it for 5 seconds. Remove from heat. Note: The 5 seconds is just a guideline. Adjust according to how hot your pan is.

8. Repeat step 7 until all 20 sheets have been roasted and turn crispy.

9. Cut them into bite size and serve with rice or as side dish.

10. Keep the remaining roasted seaweed in ziplock or airtight container and freeze it. Take out as needed. No need to thaw.

Enjoy!

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Messywitchen.com. Thanks so much!