Initially, I thought, "All you really have to do is put everything in seaweed and roll it, right?" Then we got to blanching spinach, flipping eggs (which you guys already know I can't do), shaving cucumbers, and separating crab meat, all of which made me want to quit on the spot.
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All the ingredients of my kimbap
(egg, cucumber, carrot, crab, pickled radish, spinach)
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After I prepared all the ingredients, it was finally time to roll. I tried doing it on my own multiple times, and the part I thought would be easiest was also more complicated than it had at first seemed. On my first try, I rolled the bamboo mat along with it. I don't even remember what I did on my second try because it was just so mindblowingly stupid.
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| A picture before the rolling process and my failure |
Finding out that I was still being an idiot, my mom had to step in again to show me how to roll it. Turns out you're supposed to roll it once with the bamboo mat and then continue with your hands. Afterwards, you wrap the whole thing in the mat and squeeze it all together so nothing falls out.
I needed a lot more practice, so I made about 10 rolls (which is A LOT) until I could make it look aesthetically perfect. Roll after roll, the quality got slightly better and my mom finally approved of what I was putting out.
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| Finally getting to cut some sexy pieces |
I now know the reason why my mom hates making this for us. I always thought that it was easy which is why I picked it as my warm-up, but I truly believe that this will be towards the top in terms of difficulty. Even for my mom, it takes her an hour to make enough for 3 people. No matter how tedious this process is, I would still like to make it because of just how nice the final product is in taste and presentation.
Hopefully, next week will be better than this week. This is another traditional Korean food that I enjoy, and it is ddukguk. Here is what it will look like:
Anyways, see ya next time!
Anthony~
Hey Anthony, great post! I was wondering, how long did it take for you to make the rolls? You mentioned it took your mom an hour, so I was wondering where you were comparatively. Also you mentioned that you made a lot of rolls, how many rolls does a person eat or how many people does a roll feed? Overall it seems like you are doing a really great job and I'm excited to see your development
ReplyDelete- Bryce
First of all, I'm pretty sure the quality in terms of taste in your food has gotten better! This can be seen through the awesome sushi (rice sushi?) you brought in last Friday. Also, I'm impressed as to how much you're focusing on the technique of this project, as opposed to just taste--presentation is probably 70% of overall quality. Are you going to be doing any research on the meanings behind different foods? For example, I know that in German culture sauerkraut represents good luck during New Year's. Good job so far; I'm excited to see you continue this!
ReplyDeleteHi Anthony, I really like the tone of your blog! The sarcasm and humor is really fun to read. Also, I think it's really cool how you already started making food! Your rolls look really good. Have you been practicing techniques for Korean food or just using recipes? If so, what techniques have your learned? Great blog and I'm excited to see where your project takes you!
ReplyDeleteWow. In your second week of making food you have already surpassed me in my entire lifetime. I see that you are already greatly improving your cooking skills in just the second week. I can easily see you making the hardest food on your list in a matter of weeks.
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