Today I’m going to show you how to make a simple but delicious Korean side dish: crispy and salty roasted seaweed sheets. Called gim-gui (김구이) in Korean, they are a common item in lunchboxes because they taste great and are a good source of protein, vitamin, minerals, and fiber. Their saltiness also makes them a great accompaniment to beer.

You may have seen roasted seaweed sold in little packets in your local grocery store. But I guarantee that roasting your own tastes 10 times better, and you can be sure it’s made just the way you want it. One of my friends in this video often buys seaweed sheets at Trader Joe’s, and he was blown away by how much better mine tasted! He thought I added something “special,” but as you see in this video, it’s pretty simple to make!
roasted seaweed (gimgui:김구이)

roasted seaweed (gimgui:김구이)

In the old days, roasted seaweed sheets weren’t sold in stores, so every Korean housewife roasted her own. Gim is usually sold in packs of 100 sheets, and I used to roast all 100, cut them into bite sized pieces, pack them into plastic bags (after squeezing all the air out), and keep them in the freezer. To keep them as fresh and crispy as possible, I would only keep a small amount outside of the freezer, sealed in a plastic container.

Like many other frugal housewives, I used to keep empty ramyeon packets on hand to use as gim-gui wrappers. When I put some gim-gui into my children’s lunchboxes, I slipped them into old ramyeon wrappers so they would stay fresh and crispy until lunchtime.

When I lived in Missouri in the 90s, my Japanese friend Yukiko came over to my house and saw my gim-gui in a container on my kitchen table. She tasted some and loved it. She thought that the Korean way of preparing gim-gui was better than the Japanese way, which doesn’t spread oil or salt on the gim before roasting it.

I love both ways. Roasting gim without oil and salt gives it a more of a perfectly sea smell, but oiling and salting gives it an extra crispy texture that I love.

Enjoy this recipe, and I hope you get a chance to make some delicious, nutritious lunchboxes with your gim-gui! Let me know if that happens, and send me a photo!

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine the cooking oil and toasted sesame oil in a small bowl and put the salt in a small bowl. Place a few pieces of paper towel in front of you, where you can work.
    gimgui_oil
  2. Put a sheet of gim on the paper towel with the shiny side up. Using your hand or a brush, spread a light layer of the oil mixture on the gim. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over top.
  3. Repeat until all 20 sheets oiled and seasoned with salt.
    roasted seaweed (gimgui:김구이)
  4. Roll the seasoned gim up in the paper towel, so it soaks up a bit of the excess oil. Set aside.
    roasted seaweed (gimgui:김구이)
  5. Heat up a large pan on the stove over medium heat, or heat a griddle to 350°F (about 180°C).
  6. Place a sheet of gim with the shiny side up on the griddle. Press the gim with a spatula for about 15 seconds until the bottom turns crispy and green.
  7. Add another sheet of gim on top of the first, with the rough side up. Flip them over and add another sheet of gim with the rough side up. Cook for about 15 seconds. Repeat this until all 20 sheets of gim turn very crispy and beautiful light green. Layering it this way will make the sheets crispier, as the inside sheets get roasted as you go. The key is to always keep the rough side out, so it ends up next to the grill and the shiny side in, so it never touches the grill.
    roasted seaweed (gimgui:김구이)
  8. Remove from the heat. Cut them into bite size pieces. Serve with rice or as a side dish with beer.
    roasted seaweed (gimgui:김구이)
  9. Keep the leftovers in a small sandwich bag or an airtight container and serve it over the next few days. If you roast a large quantity, keep the excess in the freezer, and only take it out as you need it.roasted seaweed (gimgui:김구이)

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12 Comments:

  1. OliviaOnassis London joined 1/20 & has 1 comment

    Hi!
    I’m going to make this now! I found some of these in a supermarket but they were super expensive! This is a more cost efficient way of making it! Thankyou. I’m going to do it in avocado oil to make it healthier as I’m on a Ketogenic diet, I’m also going to do a lot of your other dishes, even if they have carbohydrates, I will replace that! Thankyou! X

  2. Sushiislyfe California joined 8/19 & has 1 comment

    I am most likely not going to buy pre-packaged roasted seasoned seaweed anymore.

  3. GarlicBoy North American continent joined 6/14 & has 1 comment

    How does one add wasabi (or other spices) to the gim-gui? As a powder sprinkled on before putting on the griddle? Or as a liquid or paste? Thanks.

  4. Che-Cheh Malaysia joined 8/11 & has 7 comments

    Hi Maangchi, is this the gim that we use for making kimbap? or this is another type of gim? The gim I used is quite thin and is use for making kimbap. Because of its thinness, it burnt rather easily. Also after roasting it, the gim very fast become soft again (not crunchy).

    Btw recently I sent an email to your gmail with the title ‘Help! Is this seaweed?’. Can you please reply my email? Thank you so much.

  5. azzir241 Philippines joined 4/14 & has 1 comment

    Maangchi!! Thank you for the recipe. I made some last night and my family loved it. Although the last batches I made were a bit burnt.. Hahaha!

  6. Kona joined 12/10 & has 4 comments

    Thanks for showing us how to do this! I’ve made it twice now already and really enjoy being able to control how much salt and oil I put on the sheets. I also used olive oil to try to make it healthier and it worked great!

    I also like your tip of keeping the extra in the freezer. I always had a problem with soggy seaweed before when I kept it in the fridge but not anymore.

  7. Miss Kim78 socali joined 3/13 & has 40 comments

    Cute kitchen! Wow you are sitting this time.

    Awesome gheem! I used to love watching my grandma makes this when I was a kid. I would stand by her side and watch..and just wait for her to give me a piece. It tasted so good, all fresh and perfectly seasoned.

    When I pack lunch, sometimes all I need is gheem and rice! I work in a French kitchen, but I often bring Korean doshirak to work…and sometimes share too!

  8. Zulumom Concord, CA joined 9/13 & has 35 comments

    This is a wonderful recipe!!! I made a batch a few months ago to make it a low sodium unlike the commercially sold pre-roasted seaweed sheets. Nothing like the freshly roasted Gim-Gui! The aroma is amazing too! Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful recipe, Maangchi!!! xoxo

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