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    Home » Recipes » Mains

    Dosirak Korean Lunch Box

    Modified: May 2, 2024 · Published: Nov 8, 2023 by Christie Lai · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Dosirak. A traditional Korean lunchbox made of rice, egg coated cooked spam, fried egg, sautéed kimchi and onion with roasted seaweed. This is a quick and easy meal idea ready in 10 minutes with leftover cooked rice.

    Dosirak Korean Lunch Box
    Jump to:
    • What is Dosirak?
    • Ingredients & Substitutes
    • Expert Tips
    • Instructions
    • Other Lunchbox Additions
    • Storage 
    • Pairing Suggestions
    • FAQ
    • Other recipes you may like
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    What is Dosirak?

    "Dosirak" simply means "lunchbox" in Korean. My version of this Korean lunchbox features spam, a fried egg, sautéed kimchi with onion and roasted seaweed over a bed of short grain rice.

    It is so delicious, especially when it is mixed altogether like bibimbap. Dosirak is very versatile as you can substitute with other ingredients to your needs.

    This Korean food is usually made with pantry ingredients or with leftover Korean side dishes or banchans and served in a gold metal tin box.

    Dosirak Korean Lunch Box

    History of Dosirak

    Back in the day, dosirak was a common lunch meal for Korean students. When they arrived in their classrooms, they would place their metal lunchboxes on top of the classroom heater to keep the food warm.

    The metal in the lunchbox was the perfect conductor for heat keeping the food warm, as they didn't have thermoses like they do today.

    When lunch time rolled around, the students open their dosirak box, break up the ingredients, close and shake it up to mix the ingredients, creating a harmonious flavor.

    Dosirak Korean Lunch Box

    Each dosirak varies in ingredients depending on what your parents prepared. A popular version contains sausage dipped and fried in egg, with steamed rice, kimchi fried with onion, fried egg and perhaps some dried seaweed.

    There is no one-set way of having this lunchbox. There are even dosirak restaurants that serve this in their menu so people can enjoy this nostalgic meal!

    Ingredients & Substitutes

    • Cooked short grain rice: or sub with long grain white rice.
    • Spam: or substitute with sausage or ham.
    • Eggs: to fry and to coat the spam.
    • Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
    • Kimchi: well-fermented kimchi works best for this dish. To tell if your kimchi is well-fermented, the leaves are more reddish and translucent and less white.
    • Onion
    • Korean seasoned seaweed flakes: or substitute with crushed seaweed snack or nori strips
    • Sesame seeds: optional garnish

    Required: lunchbox (use what you have)

    Expert Tips

    • Don't overcook the spam. Just cook until a light golden brown color so the spam remains juicy.
    • Fry the kimchi and onions until softened and most of the liquids have evaporated. If there's too much liquid it can create a soggy dosirak.
    • Prepare your eggs any way you like! You can make them sunny side up, easy over, scrambled or even poached in hot boiling water.
    • Don't skip the Korean seaweed flakes! They take this dish to the next level as they're crunchy and packed with umami flavor.
    • Mix it up well to enjoy! Break up the components with a spoon before shaking up the lunchbox.

    Instructions

    1. Pack your cooked rice with a rice paddle or spatula into two-thirds of the lunch box leaving some space at the top and one the side for the other ingredients.
    2. In a bowl, beat one of the eggs. Then lightly grease a large pan with vegetable oil on medium heat. Dip each slice of spam into the beaten egg and fry on both sides until light golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the cooked spam and place where there is an empty space of your lunch box.
    3. In the same pan set over medium high heat, lightly grease with oil. Fry your sliced onions until translucent and softened. Then add chopped kimchi and mix with onions. Cook until the liquids have evaporated. Once cooked, packed the kimchi and onions over the rice into one corner of the lunchbox. Reserve some room for the seasoned seaweed flakes.
    4. In the same pan over low heat, lightly grease with oil. Then fry your egg sunny side up or easy-over with a runny yolk. Place the cooked egg over the center of your rice.
    5. Place Korean seaweed flakes next to the kimchi and garnish with sesame seeds over your kimchi and fried egg.
    6. Break up the individual lunchbox components with a spoon. Cover with the lid. Give it a very good shake until the components mix together. Open and enjoy!

    Other Lunchbox Additions

    Feel free to add the following as additions or substitutions for your dosirak:

    • Canned tuna mixed with Kewpie mayo
    • Cocktail sausages or mini sausages
    • Other types of kimchi like kimchi radish or pa kimchi (which is green onion kimchi)
    • Yellow pickled radish or pickled burdock
    • Seasonings like soy sauce, sesame oil or gochujang
    • Korean bulgogi beef
    • Gyeran mari
    • Korean spinach
    • Korean bean sprouts
    • Korean Zucchini Fritters

    Storage 

    • Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
    • Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing dosirak since there is a variety of different ingredients and certain ones don't freeze well.

    Pairing Suggestions

    Dosirak serves well with other Korean side dishes or banchans like:

    • Korean cucumber salad
    • gamja jorim
    • japchae
    • pajeon
    • sundubu jjigae
    • kimchi potato pancakes
    • spam kimbap

    FAQ

    Can I make this in advance?

    This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.

    Dosirak vs bibimbap?

    Dosirak is main with several key ingredients using leftover Korean side dishes and packed neatly into a lunchbox. It's mixed up like bibimbap but it's not the same. Bibimbap, however, features rice, fried egg, sometimes bulgogi beef or spicy pork, beansprouts, carrots, mushrooms, spinach or other vegetable ingredients and paired with a spicy gochujang sauce. It's also mixed before enjoying!

    Where can I buy a dosirak lunch box?

    Amazon sells a traditional metal one that I have linked to below but if you have a glass or plastic rectangular lunch box that will work too!

    Other recipes you may like

    • Gyeran Bap
    • Korean Tuna Mayo Deopbap
    • Kimchi Fried Rice
    • Vegan Mushroom Kimchi Fried Rice

    📖 Recipe

    Easy 10-min. Dosirak Korean Lunch Box

    Christie Lai
    Dosirak. A traditional Korean lunchbox made of rice, egg coated cooked spam, fried egg, sautéed kimchi and onion with roasted seaweed. This is a quick and easy meal idea ready in 10 minutes with leftover cooked rice.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 2 minutes mins
    Cook Time 8 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Korean
    Servings 1 lunch box
    Calories per serving 1195 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 cups cooked short grain rice or substitute with long-grain white rice
    • ½ can spam sliced into 4 pieces
    • 2 large eggs one for dipping spam and one to fry on its own
    • 2 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
    • ¼ cup kimchi chopped
    • ¼ cup onion thinly sliced
    • ⅓ cup Korean seaweed flakes or sub with crushed seaweed snack
    • ½ teaspoon sesame seeds garnish (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Pack your cooked rice with a rice paddle or spatula into two-thirds of the lunch box leaving some space at the top and one the side for the other ingredients.
    • In a bowl, beat one of the eggs. Then lightly grease a large pan with vegetable oil on medium heat. Dip each slice of spam into the beaten egg and fry on both sides until light golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the cooked spam and place where there is an empty space of your lunch box.
    • In the same pan set over medium high heat, lightly grease with oil. Fry your sliced onions until translucent and softened. Then add chopped kimchi and mix with onions. Cook until the liquids have evaporated. Once cooked, packed the kimchi and onions over the rice into one corner of the lunchbox. Reserve some room for the seasoned seaweed flakes.
    • In the same pan over low heat, lightly grease with oil. Then fry your egg sunny side up or easy-over with a runny yolk. Place the cooked egg over the center of your rice.
    • Place Korean seaweed flakes next to the kimchi and garnish with sesame seeds over your kimchi and fried egg.
    • Break up the individual lunchbox components with a spoon. Cover with the lid. Give it a very good shake until the components mix together. Open and enjoy!
    Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!

    Suggested Equipment & Products

    • Metal Lunchbox
    • Large Non-Stick Pan
    • Mini Frying Pan
    • Cutting Board
    • Santoku Knife
    Nutrition
    Calories: 1195kcal | Carbohydrates: 122g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 493mg | Sodium: 2686mg | Potassium: 1039mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 568IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 9mg

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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Rosemary

      July 12, 2021 at 11:10 am

      5 stars
      Ahh this is such a good lunch idea! I love having lunch prepped and ready to go. I never thought to use egg in a lunch recipe thank you!

      Reply
    2. Heidi | The Frugal Girls

      July 05, 2021 at 5:00 pm

      5 stars
      This is what I want for lunch today. That gorgeous egg you placed on top draws me right in!

      Reply

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    Christie

    Christie is an Recipe Blogger with an expertise on Asian recipes! She makes Asian cooking approachable with step-by-step pictures, ingredient & recipe tips and a helpful cooking video. Her quick and easy recipes have been featured on BuzzFeed Tasty, Food52, The Kitchn, The FeedFeed, Sur La Table, Yummly and more! With a following of over 1M+, her recipes are made repeatedly by her loyal readers.

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