The recently sold-out frozen Korean kimbap rolls at Trader Joe’s have gained popularity thanks to TikTok!
According to the grocer’s website, this dish is referred to as gimbap in Korea, which is a combination of gim, meaning seaweed, and bap, meaning cooked rice. Kimbap is “similar to a mega-sized maki sushi roll,” the chain notes, but has its unique characteristics. Maki typically contains vinegar-seasoned rice and a single filling, whereas kimbap contains sesame oil-seasoned rice and an assortment of savory fillings.
Trader Joe’s Kimbap focuses on veggies, with a supplier from the Republic of Korea, who arranges an assortment of sauteed greens, root veggies, and pickles “around a base of braised tofu.” The final product is wrapped in rice and seaweed, and sliced into “two-or-three-bite-sized rounds.”
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Trader Joe’s Kimbap Korean-Inspired Frozen Rolls Sell Out Thanks To TikTok
Trader Joe’s describes their quick-cooking Kimbap as a “multi-flavored mosaic” when viewed in cross section. In just two minutes of cooking from frozen in the microwave, it can be “enjoyed either hot or chilled and served as an entrée, side, or snack.”
The dish’s flavor is said to be strong enough to stand alone, but can also be enhanced with a variety of sauces that the grocer lists, such as Sriracha, Gochujang Sauce, or Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce. For a more satisfying texture, the brand suggests a quick pan-fry, with two minutes of hot oil on each side being the recommended cooking time.
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As reported by NBC News, these rolls are “sold out at Trader Joe’s until at least October,” and traditionally “made with rice (bap) and bulgogi (beef) or fishcake, omelet-style egg, pickled radish, carrots, spinach all seasoned individually (sauteed with sesame oil and soy sauce or both) and rolled into seaweed (kim, hence kimbap) that’s brushed with sesame oil.”
On TikTok, the search for 'Trader Joe's kimbap rolls' garners thousands of videos and millions of views. After kimbap rolls have gained popularity and sold out at Trader Joe's, Korean-Americans who grew up eating this dish are now sharing their reviews.
In turn, this is all giving increased exposure to Korean grocery stores like H Mart where kimbap can still be purchased by interested shoppers before Trader Joe's brings more of it to their stores.
