Jumeokbap
Also transliterated jumeok-bap, this is a Korean rice ball literally translating to English as “fist rice.” As you can infer from the name, rice for the fist is popular as a portable or picnic snack — although it’s eaten in many other contexts too.
In many ways jumeokbap is similar to Japanese onigiri; intuitively, rice balls have been eaten in these parts of East Asia for thousands of years, although jumeokbap exploding in popularity as something to buy instead of just something to make at home is a more recent development of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Along with being commonly eaten on the go, jumeokbap are also popular as a sidedish or alongside other banchan sides, especially for spicy foods for which they can help cleanse the palate.
One of the nice things about jumeokbap is that you can really make it with whatever fillings you want; it all starts with rice, a little salt, sesame oil, and usually toasted sesame seeds, but after that it’s pretty much up to you!
Popular fillings include:
- Nori seaweed
- Scallions
- Bulgogi beef, pork, or chicken
- Spam
- Mushrooms
- Tuna
- Kimchi
- Vegetables, especially carrot, onions, spinach and other greens
Unlike onigiri, where the filling is quite distinct from the outside layer of rice, in jumeokbap, the rice and fillings are incorporated together. This means you get a little bit of everything in each bite! It also makes jumeokbap super easy to make: Simply season rice with salt and sesame oil in a bowl, throw your desired fillings on top, mix them together with your hands until the rice and fillings are relatively even, shape into balls or triangle shapes of whatever size you wish, and you’re good to go!
The other great thing about jumeokbap is that the ingredients for it are staples that are easy to find at any grocery store like Uwajimaya!
