The Drama: Woo Young-woo’s Perfect Food
She counts the grains of rice. She arranges the ingredients with geometric precision. And when she finally takes that first bite—eyes closed, a small smile spreading across her face—you understand that for Woo Young-woo, gimbap isn’t just food. It’s love made edible.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (이상한 변호사 우영우) premiered on ENA and Netflix in June 2022, and within weeks, it had captured hearts around the world. The series follows Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), a brilliant attorney with autism spectrum disorder who joins Korea’s largest law firm. With an IQ of 164 and a photographic memory for legal texts, she’s a legal genius. But it’s her pure, unfiltered love of gimbap—and whales—that made millions fall in love with her.
“I like gimbap more than anything in the world,” Young-woo declares with absolute sincerity. “It’s so delicious that I could eat it every day.”
And she does. Every single day. The same meal, the same joy, the same comfort. In a world that constantly overwhelms her senses, gimbap is her anchor—predictable, reliable, and endlessly satisfying.
When her father makes gimbap for her each morning, when her colleague Jun-ho (Kang Tae-oh) learns to roll it just right, when the Hanbada lawyers finally understand why she needs this routine—gimbap becomes a symbol of acceptance, understanding, and love.
The History of Gimbap
What Is Gimbap?
Gimbap (김밥) is one of Korea’s most iconic foods, combining:
- Gim (김) = Dried seaweed sheets
- Bap (밥) = Cooked rice
The result is a portable, nutritious roll filled with various ingredients—vegetables, egg, meat, and pickled radish—all wrapped in seasoned rice and crispy seaweed. Cut into bite-sized rounds, gimbap is Korea’s perfect grab-and-go meal.
Origins: A Korean Classic
While gimbap resembles Japanese sushi rolls, its history and flavor profile are distinctly Korean. The dish likely emerged in the early 20th century, evolving from various Korean and Japanese influences into something uniquely its own.
| Era | Development |
|---|---|
| Early 1900s | Seaweed rice rolls appear in Korea |
| 1950s-60s | Gimbap becomes popular picnic and school food |
| 1970s-80s | Gimbap shops proliferate across Korea |
| 1990s-Present | Becomes iconic Korean comfort food |
| 2022 | Extraordinary Attorney Woo makes gimbap a global symbol |
Unlike sushi, gimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and salt rather than vinegar. The fillings are cooked rather than raw, and the overall flavor is savory and nutty rather than clean and sharp.
The Gimbap Culture
In Korea, gimbap occupies a special place in daily life:
1. School Memories For most Koreans, gimbap evokes memories of field trips and picnics. Mothers would wake early to prepare rolls packed in aluminum foil, eaten on buses and under cherry blossoms. It’s nostalgia wrapped in seaweed.
2. Convenience Store Staple Korean convenience stores stock triangular samgak-gimbap and full rolls 24/7. It’s the ultimate cheap, filling, delicious meal—perfect for students, workers, and late-night cravings.
3. Gimbap Restaurants Gimbap cheonguk (김밥천국, “Gimbap Heaven”) and similar chains serve dozens of variations alongside other Korean comfort foods. These no-frills restaurants are beloved institutions.
4. Home Cooking Despite its availability everywhere, homemade gimbap remains special. The act of spreading rice, arranging fillings, and rolling with care is an expression of love—exactly like Young-woo’s father preparing her daily meal.
Why Woo Young-woo Loves Gimbap
For someone with autism, the predictability and sensory profile of gimbap can be deeply comforting:
- Consistent texture: The same satisfying combination every time
- Familiar taste: Sesame oil, seaweed, and rice—reliable flavors
- Visual appeal: The colorful cross-section is aesthetically pleasing
- Portability: Easy to eat without mess or complexity
- Routine: The same meal provides stability in an unpredictable world
The drama beautifully portrays how food preferences aren’t just quirks—they’re meaningful parts of how we experience the world.
The Recipe: Korean Gimbap
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 4 cups short-grain rice, cooked and warm
- Korean sesame oil (2 tablespoons) Amazon →
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Fillings
- 4 eggs, beaten and cooked into thin omelets
- 200g beef (or ham), cut into strips and seasoned
- Pickled yellow radish (단무지, 4 strips) Amazon →
- 1 bunch spinach, blanched and seasoned
- 2 carrots, julienned and sautéed
- 4 strips imitation crab (optional)
- 4 strips cucumber (optional)
For Assembly
- Roasted seaweed sheets (김, 4-5 sheets) Amazon →
- Sesame oil for brushing
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Seasoning for Spinach
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Seasoning for Beef
- Korean soy sauce (1 tablespoon) Amazon →
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Black pepper to taste
Equipment
- Bamboo rolling mat (김발) Amazon →
- Sharp knife
- Large cutting board
- Mixing bowls
Video Tutorial
Video by 백종원의 요리비책 Paik’s Cuisine - Korea’s most famous chef
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Rice While rice is still warm, add sesame oil and salt. Mix gently with a rice paddle, using cutting motions to avoid mashing the grains. Let cool to room temperature—hot rice will make the seaweed soggy.
Step 2: Prepare the Egg Beat eggs with a pinch of salt. Cook in a non-stick pan over low heat, making thin sheets. Roll up the cooked egg and slice into long strips.
Step 3: Prepare the Vegetables Blanch spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds, rinse in cold water, and squeeze out excess moisture. Season with sesame oil, salt, and garlic. Sauté julienned carrots in a little oil until just tender.
Step 4: Prepare the Beef Season beef strips with soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and pepper. Cook in a hot pan until browned and caramelized.
Step 5: Assemble the Gimbap Place a seaweed sheet shiny-side down on the bamboo mat. Spread a thin, even layer of rice over 2/3 of the seaweed, leaving the top third bare. Arrange fillings in horizontal lines across the center of the rice.
Step 6: Roll Using the bamboo mat, lift the bottom edge and roll away from you, tucking the fillings tightly. When you reach the bare seaweed section, wet it slightly to seal. Continue rolling to close completely.
Step 7: Finish Brush the outside of the roll with sesame oil. Using a sharp, wet knife, cut into 1-inch rounds. Arrange on a plate with the colorful cross-section facing up. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
FAQ
What’s the difference between gimbap and sushi?
While they look similar, gimbap and sushi are quite different. Gimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and salt; sushi rice uses vinegar and sugar. Gimbap fillings are typically cooked; sushi traditionally features raw fish. The flavor profiles are distinct—gimbap is nutty and savory, sushi is clean and tangy.
Why is my gimbap falling apart?
Common issues include: too much rice (keep it thin), rice that’s too hot (let it cool), not enough pressure while rolling, or cutting with a dull knife. Wet your knife between cuts and roll firmly but not so tight that ingredients squeeze out.
Can I make gimbap vegetarian?
Absolutely. Skip the beef and egg, add more vegetables like cucumber, avocado, burdock root (ueong), or seasoned tofu. Many Korean temples serve vegetarian gimbap as part of temple cuisine.
How long does gimbap last?
Gimbap is best eaten within a few hours of making—the seaweed loses its crispness over time. If storing, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day. Bring to room temperature before eating; don’t microwave.
What is the yellow pickled radish?
Danmuji (단무지) is sweet pickled yellow radish, a standard gimbap filling that provides crunch and a tangy-sweet counterpoint. It’s available at Korean grocery stores and is essential for authentic flavor.
Why does Woo Young-woo eat the same food every day?
Many people with autism find comfort in routine and predictability. Eating the same food reduces sensory uncertainty and decision fatigue. The drama beautifully normalizes this—it’s not a problem to fix, but a preference to respect.
What are popular gimbap variations?
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Chamchi-gimbap | Tuna mayo filling |
| Cheese-gimbap | Cheese added inside |
| Nude gimbap | Rice on outside, seaweed inside |
| Chungmu-gimbap | Small plain rolls with spicy squid side |
| Samgak-gimbap | Triangle-shaped convenience store version |
Make It Tonight
There’s something beautifully simple about gimbap. Rice, seaweed, whatever fillings bring you joy—rolled together into something greater than its parts. It’s the kind of food that asks nothing of you except to enjoy it.
Woo Young-woo doesn’t love gimbap despite its simplicity. She loves it because of its simplicity. In a world full of noise and chaos, gimbap is quiet and kind. It’s always there, always the same, always delicious.
You don’t need to eat gimbap every day to understand this. You just need to make it once—spreading the rice carefully, arranging the fillings with intention, rolling with hope—to feel what Young-woo feels. Food made with love, eaten with gratitude.
Tonight, try making gimbap. Maybe it won’t be perfect. Maybe the roll will fall apart or the rice will be uneven. But you’ll be doing what generations of Korean parents have done for their children: wrapping care and comfort in seaweed and rice.
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Hero image: “Gimbap” via Wikimedia Commons
Part of our K-Drama Kitchen series—cooking the dishes that made us hungry while watching.
