Korean

Korean Seaweed Chips (Gim-bugak)

Name: Korean Seaweed Chips (Gim-bugak)
Yield: 14 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 cup glutinous rice flour (Mochiko); 2½ cups water; 1 tsp salt; 14 gim (seaweed paper for sushi/gimbap); ~2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds; ~1½ tbsp silgochu (shredded dried red chili peppers); ~2 cups oil for frying

🍽 Serves 14

Fried seaweed coated with glutinous rice paste. The process involves making a thick rice paste, coating it on seaweed sheets, drying them, then frying or toasting until crispy and fluffy. The result is crunchy and airy with a fresh sea flavor, perfect as a snack or side dish for beer.

Adapted from a video by Maangchi

Korean seaweed chips (Gim-bugak: 김부각)

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

glutinous rice flour (Mochiko)1 cup
water2½ cups
salt1 tsp
gim (seaweed paper for sushi/gimbap)Use high-quality seaweed with fewer holes, shiny finish, and thicker texture. Keep frozen to preserve flavor.14
toasted sesame seedsfor garnish and seasoning~2 tbspest.
silgochu (shredded dried red chili peppers)for garnish~1½ tbspest.
oil for frying~2 cupsest.

Steps

▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.

1
Make the rice paste: combine 1 cup glutinous rice flour with 2.5 cups water in a pot and heat over medium heat while stirring constantly.
2
Add 1 teaspoon salt and keep stirring until the mixture starts to bubble.
3
Once bubbles form, stir for about 30 seconds more, then remove from heat and let cool down.
4
Cut the shredded red chili peppers into small pieces and prepare the toasted sesame seeds as garnish.
5
Prepare 14 seaweed sheets. Use high-quality seaweed for sushi or gimbap making—look for fewer holes, a shiny finish, and thicker texture. Take them directly from the freezer.
6
Stir the rice paste occasionally as it cools to maintain a creamy color and prevent the surface from drying out.
7
Place the seaweed with its shiny side down on the dehydrator basket. Generously scoop and spread the rice paste over only half of each seaweed sheet.
8
Fold the two edges of the seaweed toward the center, then apply another generous layer of rice paste to ensure it coats both sides thoroughly.
9
Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and shredded red chili peppers on top of each seaweed chip for garnish.
10
Using a dehydrator: arrange all prepared seaweed chips on the dehydrator baskets. Set the temperature to fruits and vegetables setting (135°F / 57°C) and dehydrate for about 7-8 hours until completely dried and breakable.
11
Traditional sun-drying method (optional): if you don't have a dehydrator, place the chips in a sunny, breezy outdoor location for 1-2 days. Flip and flatten every few hours to ensure even drying and a flat shape.
12
Frying: heat oil to the proper temperature. Place the dried chips in hot oil and fry when bubbles start to form on the surface. Fry for about 5 seconds until the rice coating puffs up, then flip. Fry both sides until fluffy and lightly golden, then remove and drain.
13
Remove from oil, drain, and serve while hot.

Korean Seaweed Chips (Gim-bugak)

Ingredients

Steps

More like this