Tonkatsu Kimbap Recipe

Whenever I make kimbap for the hubby I have to Japan-ize it...I season the rice with rice vinegar, make sure I don't use any sesame oil, and sometimes add ingredients like avocado. I despise rice vinegar, it smells like straight up barf. But I make the sacrifice for my love.

Last weekend, though, the hubs was gone doing his cross-country trip (he flew to Houston and then to New Orleans, that lucky duck)....so I got to make kimbap MY way...just for myself :) So delicious.

Tonkatsu Kimbap

Makes 2-3 rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked short-grain sticky rice
• 2-3 boneless skinless chicken tenders, cut about 1in. length-wise
• Vegetable oil
• Flour
• 3 eggs
• Panko (any bread crumbs are fine but panko is the best) - about 3/4 cup
• Red pepper powder (optional)
• Lettuce (I used iceberg here)
• Carrots (I used about 8 baby carrots)
• 2 strips of pickled radish
• (These are all the veggies I had on hand, other good filling ideas: cucumber, zucchini, cooked spinach)
• 1tsp. sesame oil (and extra for brushing)
• 2-3 sheets dried sushi seaweed
• Sesame seeds to garnish (optional)
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

Cook the rice in your rice cooker.
Heat a small frying pan with about 1T oil. Mix 2 eggs and fry it. Set aside. Save this pan to use for the chicken as well.
Mix the panko on a small plate with salt, pepper and red pepper powder to taste. Mix 1 egg in a small bowl. Spread a scoop of flour onto a small plate.
Heat the pan with oil, fill it about 1-1/2 in. high. Sprinkle in a tiny bit of water or flour so that when it starts crackling you know that the oil is ready.
While the oil is heating up, season the chicken with salt and pepper. (If you didn't notice, I season both the chicken AND the panko coating, otherwise the tonkatsu is too bland for me.)
Here are the steps for coating the chicken:
1. Cover the chicken with flour completely
2. Dip it in the egg
3. Roll the chicken in the panko mixture

Then slowly lower the chicken into the hot oil. Once it is a nice golden brown, (I usually overcook mine to the point that it's a dark brown, I'm always afraid of undercooked chicken) turn and cook the other side. Try not to turn the chicken pieces more than once so that you don't lose any coating.
Once done, place on a plate covered with paper towel. Do this with all of the chicken pieces.

Now for the fillings.
While your chicken is cooling a bit, cut the veggies. This part is all about personal preference, but here is how I did it:
1. Cut pieces of lettuce about 1in. wide
2. Cut carrots length-wise about 1/4 in
3.Cut pickled radish about 1/3 in. (these often come pre-sliced)
Cut your fried egg into 1in. strips.

Now season the rice: Add about 1 tsp. sesame oil and 1/2 tsp. salt. Taste, and add more as desired. This is not an exact science. And try to keep the rice in the cooker as long as possible so that it stays warm.

Ready to roll:
Using a bamboo mat is the easiest, but you can do it using just your hands on a flat surface as well.
Place a sheet of seaweed on the mat. Spread a thin layer of rice on the seaweed, about 3/4 of the way up. Smush some rice grains along the top edge (this is to help it stick after you roll it; who knows if it works but this is how my sis-in-law taught me). Place your fillings in the middle of the sheet. Now roll. Tuck in the edges with your fingers as you are going, and keep squeezing the roll so that it ends up tight.
Finishing touches: brush the roll all over with a bit of sesame oil. This helps the seaweed become wet so that it sticks together, it's easy to cut, and it smells nice. After the sesame oil has soaked in, cut the roll into about 1/2in. pieces, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

The Finished Product: