Jumeokbap (Korean Rice Balls)

Jumeokbap, or Korean Rice Balls, are our favorite for a quick on-the-go snack or meal! White rice is seasoned with seaweed and sesame oil, then stuffed with ground beef bulgogi for a hearty and fun ball. They're great for the whole family!

Jump to:

• 🍚 What is Jumeokbap?
• 🧂 Ingredients
• 🔪 How To Make Korean Rice Balls
• 💭 Top Tips
• 🥡 Storing & Freezing
• 📖 Recipe FAQs
• 🍽 Looking For More Asian Recipes?
• 📋 Recipe

🍚 What is Jumeokbap?

Jumeokbap (주먹밥) directly translates to "fist rice". Jumeok means "fist" while bap means "cooked rice". The name is derived from the ball of rice that's traditionally formed by hand and resembles a fist. Restaurants will often serve jumeokbap alongside spicy dishes to ease the heat.

One of the reasons why Korean rice balls are so fun is because you can stuff them with anything you'd like! The delicious fillings range from beef and chicken to vegetables like kimchi and leftover banchan (Korean side dishes). Even plain and simple rice balls are yummy! Just make sure to include gim (seaweed) and sesame seeds.. those are the only essentials.

This version of jumeokbap features a hearty, sweet, and savory ground beef bulgogi filling. These quick, easy, and healthy rice balls are perfect for a bento lunch box (dosirak) or as an on-the-go snack or breakfast. Take them with you on a picnic, to the beach, or on a hike!

Why You'll Love It

• Portable: Jumuk bap are hand-held and easy to take with you wherever you go.
• Economical: With only 8 humble ingredients, stuffed Korean rice balls are a great money-saver. You can also use leftover grains and meat to stuff these balls.
• Quick: This 30-minute recipe is easy and yummy! For more quick snacks, try Spam Musubi with Egg, Vietnamese Shrimp Toast, or Crab Rangoons!

🧂 Ingredients

• Cooked rice: I recommend using short or medium-grain as these have more starch, making them stickier. Some examples are sushi or Calrose rice.
• Sesame oil and seeds: If possible, use toasted sesame oil. For the seeds, use either white or black sesame seeds.
• Seaweed (nori or gim): Cut or crush the large square sheets that are used to make sushi or gimbap. Or you can use seaweed flakes if you can find them at the supermarket.
• Ground beef: I use an 88/12% blend. Try not to use too fatty of a blend or else the jumeokbap will be oily.
• Soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic: A homemade bulgogi seasoning for the beef.
• Cooking oil: Avocado oil is my favorite oil to cook, fry, and sauté with because of its high smoke point (500°F) and neutral flavor.

Substitutions & Variations

• If using leftover rice, reheat it in the microwave until it's warm. Add a splash of water if it looks dry and crumbly.
• If using brown rice, make sure it's short grain. Brown rice also takes longer to cook than white so add more water to make sure it's moist enough to stick together.
• Instead of seaweed and sesame seeds, replace it with ¼ cup furikake. Furikake is a Japanese blend of toasted sesame seeds, salt, nori, bonito flakes, and sugar.
• Feel free to replace the beef filling with anything you'd like! Tuna is a very popular choice - I like to keep it simple with canned tuna, Kewpie mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. You could also use Spam, rotisserie chicken, or pork with pre-made teriyaki, bulgogi, or KBBQ marinade.
• To make vegetarian or vegan joomuk bap, stick to vegetable fillings. Kimchi (drained), cauliflower, fried tofu, caramelized mushroom, and carrots are great options.

🔪 How To Make Korean Rice Balls

⬇️ Please scroll down to the recipe card to see full ingredient amounts and instructions.

STEP ONE: First, add the toasted seaweed sheets into a plastic bag and crush the bag several times. You should end up with small seaweed flakes but if they're still too big, use kitchen scissors to cut them smaller. Newly opened toasted sheets work best as they'll be crunchier.

STEP TWO: Next, add the warm cooked rice, seaweed flakes, sesame seed, half the sesame oil, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Mix thoroughly and season to taste. Cover with a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out and set aside.

STEP THREE: Make the bulgogi sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar.

STEP FOUR: In a skillet over medium-high heat, add cooking oil. When hot, add the ground beef along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Use your wooden spoon to crumble the beef and brown 50% of the way. Pour in the bulgogi sauce (make sure to get all the brown sugar that's settled on the bottom too). Cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring often, until all the sauce has been absorbed. Season to taste.

STEP FIVE: Form the stuffed balls. Either use plastic food-safe gloves or wet your hands and rub a little salt on them to prevent it from sticking.

1. First, scoop out about 3 tablespoon warm rice into your non-dominant hand.
2. Use your dominant hand to flatten it into your palm until it's very thin. Make sure there aren't any holes! Then add about 1 tablespoon beef into the center.
3. Cup your hand to begin wrapping the rice around the meat. Use the fingers on your dominant hand to pat the rice completely over the meat and close the hole. Add a little more rice on top if you're struggling to cover it up.
4. Gently pass the ball from right to left hands, lightly cupping and pressing down to compress the jumuk bbap. Roll between hands to form the final shape.

💭 Top Tips

• It's very important to use the right rice! Short (ie. sushi) or medium (ie. Calrose) grains are stickier and will keep the ball shape better. Avoid long-grain like basmati or Jasmine, as they're meant to be dry and fluffy.
• An easy way to crush seaweed sheets is to place them into large zip-top or plastic bags (like the green ones for supermarket vegetables), squeezing all the air out, and crumpling them for a few minutes. You can use kitchen shears to cut them into smaller flakes if desired.
• To prevent the rice from sticking to your hands, use food-safe gloves for easy handling. If they're not available, you can also dip your hands in water and rub a little salt on them for friction.
• Use warm rice to form the Korean rice balls. They'll stick to each other better instead of falling apart.
• Use a cookie or ice cream scooper to make even-sized rice balls. I use a large 3 tablespoon scooper.
• Don't overstuff the balls. Add just a couple crumbles of beef or else the rice balls will break apart.

🥡 Storing & Freezing

Storing: Korean rice balls are best consumed within 4-6 hours as the rice will stiffen as it cools. However, you can store leftover jumeokbap in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. You could also wrap each individual rice ball in plastic wrap first for easy portability.

Freezing: Wrap each rice ball in plastic wrap, followed by foil to prevent odors from seeping into them. Keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the fridge.

Reheating: Let come to room temperature on the counter or microwave in 15-second intervals until warm to the touch and rice is soft.

Make Ahead: I don't recommend making these too far in advance as they're best day-of. However, you can make them 2-3 days in advance if needed.

📖 Recipe FAQs

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