Sunday, September 26, 2010

Kalbi Spring Rolls


Ah, Korean Kalbi, it's the meat of the gods. Juicy, incredibly flavorful and fatty beyond words. 

I've wanted to make Kalbi spring rolls for I don't even know how long. As you all know, I'm pretty obsessed with spring rolls. They're portable, delicious, refreshing and for the most part, healthy. Ever since I made Japanese inspired spring rolls, the Ahi Tuna Rolls, I knew I'd have to make a Korean inspired spring roll, and here it is!

I think the most challenging part of making these rolls were deciding what kind of dipping sauce to serve  with them. Stuffing them was the easy part: kalbi, check! Kimchi, check! Deliciousness, check! For the dipping sauce, I decided to make a tangy gochujang and lime juice dressing. It reminded me more of a salad dressing but the tanginess was nice with the fatty pieces of kalbi. Next time though, I'll try to make a creamier sauce. Mmmmm.

Mmmmm juicy, grilled Kalbi:
Kalbi Spring Rolls
Yields: 4 - 6 servings

For the spring rolls:
2 lbs. marinated kalbi, grilled
1/2 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1/4 package of rice noodles, cook according to package
1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
4 green onions, chopped
rice paper

For the dipping sauce:
1 tbsn. gochujang
1 tbsn. sugar
1 tbsn. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted
4 tbsn. fresh lime juice or rice vinegar

To make the dipping sauce, whisk all the ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved and everything is well combined. Add more lime/ vinegar or soy sauce to your liking, set aside. To make the spring rolls, slice the kalbi into bite-sized pieces, set aside. To make rolling easier, set the ingredients out like an assembly line. To assemble, wet one rice paper and lay out on a clean surface (I like to use one and a half sheet for stronger rolls). Add some pieces of kalbi, some lettuce, some kimchi, cooked rice noodles and green onion. Roll by pulling the top towards you covering the fillings, then pull in the sides, then finish by continuing to roll to the bottom. Enjoy with the gochujang sauce!

9 comments:

  1. oh i cant wait to make these spring rolls too. this is a great fusion idea. u reckon it'll taste as good with pork instead or beef? (:

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  2. @ Chelle: I think pork would be super delicious as well!!

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  3. I absolutely love kalbi and to put them into a spring roll is just genius!

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  4. I don't eat meat, but even I can tell all these flavors must be dynamite together.

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  5. Michelle you are seriously one of my favorite bloggers. I love your creativity with your pictures and recipes -- I mean Kalbi spring rolls? You're killing me here...

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  6. I love your blog! It is so beautiful :)

    Linda, Brookline

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