How Do You Eat Gim?
Hooray, you know what Gim is! Gim is now a popular crispy, salty, seaweed snack beloved the world over.
Help me pronounce it! GHEE-M. (Hard G, not like Gym)
Let’s level up and see how else we can enjoy this delectable snack from the sea.
If you get the convenient, pre-seasoned (salted) snack packs of Gim, just rip ‘er open and enjoy like chips! Korean people usually eat this with rice. Make mini gimbap (just add a little rice and maybe dip it in a soy sauce/toasted sesame oil mixture).
If you get the unseasoned (simply dried) full-sized seaweed sheets, just give them a quick roast in a dry pan. That’ll crisp them up to deliciousness. Then you cut into pieces and serve. Or make all the ingredients for full-blown Gimbap (California roll).
Alternatively, you can season them yourself by lightly oiling each sheet (an oil spray would work well, but you can also lightly brush on any oil of your choice- Koreans usually use toasted sesame oil) and giving a sprinkle of your favourite salt.
But you’ve been there and done that, so let’s discover some more options:
Gim Banchan (often called gim jaban)
Soy Sauce Savoury Gim Banchan
Cut Gim into little pieces
In a generously oiled pan, give them a quick shallow fry
Remove from heat when crunchy
Add equal parts soy sauce: sugar and reduce in pan
Add Gim pieces back in the pan and coat evenly for a savory-sweet side dish
Sweet and Crunchy Gim Banchan:
Cut Gim into little pieces
Give Gim a quick fry in oil
Add some sugar and salt to taste and toss for a minute more
Simply Salted Gim Banchan:
Cut Gim into little pieces
Give Gim a quick fry in little oil
Sprinkle some salt and fry until crispy
Garnish options: Toasted sesame seeds, pine nuts.
*You can cut to bite-sized pieces/cut to matchstick sizes/crush them for a rustic look.
*This is an ideal thing to revive old, limp Gim.
*You can also add GOCHUGARU to the mix to add a bit of spice!
*If you use the pre-seasoned Gim, don’t add more salt.
If you want to try some of the simple, salted kind here’s one that’s conveniently packaged in single portions.
Gim Mari
These are seasoned glass noodles wrapped in Gim and deep-fried. It’s a common street-food, usually sold at Tteokbokki food stalls. When it’s done right, it’s hot and crispy with a delicious Japchae-like filling. A good snack that goes well with a cold one.
This is labour intensive and I would not make this from scratch at home. You’ll find pre-cooked products in the frozen section of the Korean grocery store.
Gim Bugak
This is also a classic crunchy, bar snack. Traditionally a sweet rice flour paste would be brushed on to each sheet and deep fried.
There has been a trend recently (2021) of bypassing the mess and hassle (of making the paste and brushing it on and waiting for it to dry) by using Vietnamese rice paper. Just use some water to stick on the rice paper to the Gim and deep-fry.
Excitingly, you can also achieve a similar effect (nothing ever really imitates true deep-fry flavour though, does it. See my #fail attempts at making a healthier version here.) by again, sticking rice paper to Gim and giving them a few flips over a gas stove flame. The high heat will puff up the rice paper and crisp up the Gim resulting in a satisfyingly monster crunch.
You can also make soup with it, but I’ve never had it so won’t recommend it here. It’s a simple soup flavoured with a usually anchovy/kelp broth with soy sauce. Whisk an egg and drizzle it in. Dump in some crushed Gim and finish off with a bit of sesame oil. Here’s a recipe from Aeri’s Kitchen.
Not my fave, but to each their own.
What is Gim Gui?
Gim refers to a dried seaweed sheet and Gui means roasted.
Gim Gui is often a part of the meal as it makes for a simple, yet flavourful addition to a bowl of rice.
Gim was (is) usually eaten this way on a regular basis in the Korean home. Large packages of full-sized sheets will be bought, stored in a cool, dark place or in the freezer and roasted and cut as needed right before a meal.
There is a story of a woman who sold roasted Gim at the market, but she roasted them so expertly with such finesse (it was so delicious) that she was able to support her family with her work (roasting Gim sheets!). You can see how commonplace Gim is on the Korean table.
People who live near markets swear by the superior taste of Gim roasted like this and won’t buy the packaged stuff.
How do you toast seaweed?
Gas stoves are common in Korea and a quick few flips over an open flame will yield that toasted effect.
You can also toast sheets in a dry pan until you see it turn greenish-brown. Not too brown or it’ll taste burnt! Just a few seconds on each side will do.
What can I do with dried seaweed?
Crushed Gim is often used as a garnish. A typical meal on Lunar New Year is to eat Tteok-Guk which is rice cake soup. Crushing Gim on top adds a bit of crunch, savoury flavours and dramatic colour. Pre-roasted, pre-salted Gim that’s crushed makes a great topping for Bibimbap and Tteokbokki as well!
What do you eat with seaweed snacks?
What can’t you eat with delicious dried seaweed snacks? A cold one, for starters. By which I mean a beer or a pop of choice 😅.
Koreans most often have it with rice.
French restaurant Le Passe Temps in Lyon, France serves its foie gras with Gim powder on top.
Get creative!
Why is my dried seaweed chewy and gross?
How do you get dried seaweed crispy again?
Once Gim is exposed to air (and moisture in the air), it will quickly lose its crisp freshness.
This is when roasting it will revive it to its former glory. You can also try microwaving it in 10sec increments.
Or you can try the Gim Guk (soup), here’s a recipe if you want to try. Or one of the banchan I mentioned earlier, Gim Jaban/Gim Muchim.
Are roasted seaweed snacks healthy?
This marine plant-based food is known to be packed full of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. You can read more about the health benefits of Gim here. Do note that once they’re pre-seasoned and become a packaged product, there will be some trade-offs with some caution against the high salt content.
As with anything, enjoy in moderation!
🚩You may be interested to read the All You Need To Know About Korean Gim article on the blog.