Futomaki Tuna Mayo Gimbap (Fat Korean Rice Roll)
A fat, generously stuffed gimbap inspired by Japanese futomaki ('fat roll'). Built around creamy tuna mayo and layered with perilla leaves, cheese, cucumber, carrot, egg, Spam, fish cake, and pickled radish — just a few pieces are seriously filling. Overlap two thin sheets of laver and roll it long for a fat roll that won't split.
Ingredients
Main
- Cooked rice2 bowls
- Dried kelp (dashima)2 pieces
- Cucumber1
- Carrot1
- Pickled radish (danmuji)1 strip
- Fish cake1–2 sheets
- Eggs3
- Spam (canned ham)100 g
- Cooking oil1 tbsp
- Perilla leaves5–6 leaves
- Sliced cheddar cheese2 slices
- Laver (gim)4 sheets (or 3 gimbap sheets)
- Sesame oil1 tbsp
- Sesame seedsa pinch
- Salta pinch
- Peppera pinch
- Seasoned soy sauce1 tbsp
- Water1 tbsp
Tuna Mayo Filling
- Canned tuna1 can
- Mayonnaise1 tbsp
- Cheongyang chili1/2
- Salt1 pinch
- Peppera pinch
Directions
- 1
Rinse the soaked rice, add 2 pieces of dried kelp, and cook up a fluffy pot of rice.
- 2
Scrape and wash the carrot, and wash the cucumber well.
- 3
Julienne the pickled radish, carrot, and cucumber into long strips sized to the roll.
- 4
Blanch the fish cake briefly in boiling water, rinse, and cut into thin strips.
- 5
Beat the eggs with 3 pinches of salt until well mixed.
- 6
Cut the Spam into long strips.
- 7
Wash the perilla leaves under running water and pat them completely dry.
- 8
Drain the canned tuna in a sieve, pressing with a spoon to squeeze out as much oil as possible.
- 9
Mix the drained tuna with mayonnaise, a pinch of salt, pepper, and 1/2 minced Cheongyang chili to make the tuna mayo.
- 10
Lightly toast the laver in a dry pan to drive off any fishy smell and make it crisp.
- 11
Over medium heat, fry the beaten egg into a thin omelet, then slice it into long strips.
- 12
In the same pan, pan-fry the Spam until golden.
- 13
Stir-fry the carrot and cucumber separately, each with 3 pinches of salt.
- 14
Stir-fry the julienned fish cake, then add 1 tbsp seasoned soy sauce and 1 tbsp water and cook until glazed.
- 15
Season the warm rice with salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, and mix evenly.
- 16
Overlap 2 sheets of laver and spread the rice thin and wide — spreading it wide keeps the roll from splitting.
- 17
Lay down the perilla leaves, then evenly add the tuna mayo, cheese, and the rest of the fillings.
- 18
Roll it up tightly, brush the outside with sesame oil, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- 19
Slice into bite-size pieces and arrange on a plate.
Tips
The tuna mayo is a bit wet from the mayonnaise, so lay the perilla leaves down first and spoon the tuna mayo on top of them — that keeps the laver from getting soggy and helps it roll up neatly. The perilla also freshens up the whole roll.