Learn how to make a popular Korean street food – deep fried seaweed spring rolls! They are a perfect companion to Korean spicy rice cakes (Tteokbokki)!
Korean Deep Fried Seaweed Spring Rolls (Gimmari, 김말이 튀김) in a nutshell
Deep fried seaweed spring rolls are essentially a simple version of Japchae (Korean glass noodles) stuffed in a seaweed sheet.
Once the seaweed sheet is rolled up, it is coated with frying batter then deep fried. So if you happened to have some Japchae left over, this dish is a great way to use it up!
If you go to a Tteokbokki (떡볶이, Korean spicy rice cakes) special shop or mini vans or carts that sell Tteokbokki, you can see these deep fried seaweed spring rolls there most of the time.
You can have these rolls as they are or ask the shop owner to mix with Tteokbokki. I always prefer the later option. Deep fried seaweed spring rolls in Tteokbokki sauce? Oh~ Yum!! It is so delicious.
They are crunchy outside and chewy bouncy inside. In fact, I like these rolls more than Tteokbokki. That means a lot, don’t you think?! 🙂 You must try this soon! Enjoy!
Ingredients for Fried Seaweed Rolls (Make 16 rolls)
Main
- 8 seaweed sheets, cut into halves
- 1 fistful Korean glass noodles, boiled and cut into little finger size
- 1/3 carrot (small size), julienned
- 10 stalks garlic chives, chopped in little finger lengths
- Some cooking oil for deep frying
Sauce – mix these in a bowl
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- A few sprinkles of ground black pepper
Batter – mix these in a bowl
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour, sifted
- 1/2 cup potato starch or corn starch, sifted
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, sifted
- 3/4 cup water
How to Make Fried Seaweed Rolls
1.Put the noodles, carrots and garlic chives into a mixing bowl. Add the sauce and mix it well with your hands.
2. Place a small amount of glass noodle and vegetable mixture (from step 1) onto a seaweed sheet. Roll the seaweed up. (If you brush some water on the edge of the seaweed after rolling it, it will stick better.) Repeat this step for the remaining ingredients.
3. Put the rolled seaweed into the batter bowl to coat. (I put 4 rolls at a time. If you put too many in at the same time, they can squash each other.)
4. Pour some oil into a wok. Once it starts to boil, add the battered seaweed rolls. Fry them until fully cooked (about 2 to 3 mins). Take them out and put them onto a kitchen paper towel to soak off any excess oil.
5. For extra crispiness, fry the seaweed rolls once more.
6. Serve. (They can be enjoyed on their own or mix in with Tteokbokki or Rabokki.)

Korean Deep Fried Seaweed Spring Rolls
Ingredients
MAIN
- 8 dried seaweed sheets , cut into halves
- 1 fistful Korean glass noodles , boiled and cut into little finger size
- 1/3 carrot , julienned,
- 10 stalks garlic chives , chopped little finger lengths
- some cooking oil for deep frying
SAUCE – MIX THESE IN A BOWL
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- A few sprinkles ground black pepper
BATTER – MIX THESE IN A BOWL
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour , sifted
- 1/2 cup potato starch or corn starch, sifted
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt , sifted
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions
- Put the noodles, carrots and garlic chives into a mixing bowl. Add the sauce and mix it well with your hands.
- Place a small amount of glass noodle and vegetable mixture (from step 1) onto a seaweed sheet. Roll the seaweed up. (If you brush some water on the edge of the seaweed after rolling it, it will stick better.) Repeat this step for the remaining ingredients.
- Put the rolled seaweed into the batter bowl to coat. (I put 4 rolls at a time. If you put too many in at the same time, they can squash each other.)
- Pour some oil into a wok. Once it starts to boil, add the battered seaweed rolls. Fry them until fully cooked (about 2 to 3 mins). Take them out and put them onto a kitchen paper towel to soak off any excess oil.
- For extra crispiness, fry the seaweed rolls once more.
- Serve. (They can be enjoyed on their own or mix in with Tteokbokki or Rabokki.)
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.