Dosirak Korean Lunch Box. A traditional lunch simply made of rice, egg coated cooked spam, fried egg, sautéed kimchi and onion with roasted seaweed. Great as a quick meal! Ready in 30 minutes or less with cooked rice.
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What is a Dosirak?
"Dosirak" simply means "lunchbox" in Korean. This Korean lunchbox features egg coated fried 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. Dosirak is very versatile as you can substitute with other ingredients to your needs. It is usually made with pantry ingredients or with leftover Korean side dishes or banchans and served in a gold metal tin 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 as they didn't have thermoses like they do today. When lunch time rolled around, the students would grab their dosirak Korean lunch box. They would open their dosirak box, and use a spoon to break up the ingredients, close the lid and shake it up so everything would mix together creating a harmonious flavor.
Each dosirak container varies in terms of 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 really no one set way of having this lunchbox. To date there are restaurants and even dosirak restaurants that serve this in their menu so people can enjoy this wonderful meal!
Ingredients
- Cooked short grain rice: or sub with long grain white rice
- Spam
- Eggs: for dipping spam
- Neutral oil
- Kimchi
- Onion
- Korean seaweed flakes or Crushed seaweed snack or nori
- Sesame seeds, garnish
Required: lunchbox (use what you have!)
How to make Dosirak
Pack Cooked Rice
Pack your cooked rice into the center and left side of the lunch box. A rice paddle or silicon spatula will be extremely helpful here.
Prepare Cooked Spam
In a bowl, beat one of the eggs. Then heat a pan over medium heat and lightly grease it with oil. Dip each slice of spam into the beaten egg and place on the hot pan to fry until a light golden brown. Fry for just a couple of minutes per side. Remove the cooked spam and place it on right side of the lunch box.
Sauté Kimchi & Onions
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 onto the left side of the lunch box on top of the rice. Save some room for the crushed nori for later.
Fry Egg
In the same pan (you may need to rinse it of the kimchi juice) over low heat, lightly grease with oil. Then fry your egg sunny side up or over easy (your preference). Place the cooked egg over the center of your rice. The yolk is best when runny.
Crushed Seaweed
Garnish the lunchbox with crushed Korean seaweed flakes or crush up seaweed snack. Sprinkle sesame seeds over your kimchi and fried egg.
Serve & Enjoy
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!
Expert Tips
- If you are making spam or sausage, be sure to dip it into egg and fry lightly to warm it up. You do not want to brown it heavily. The egg helps to keep the juices in the meat keeping it moist for lunch. It is also delicious! If you are allergic to egg, you can simply fry your meat.
- When frying the kimchi and onion, use a bit of oil to moisten the pan. Fry the onions fry until they are soft and translucent. Then add your kimchi and fry until the juices have evaporated. If you want your kimchi very saucy, fry it for half the amount of time.
- To prepare your fried egg, this comes down to preference. If you like your rice to be coated in that soft runny egg fry its sunny side up in a non-stick pan over low heat. If you do not want your rice to be coated in yolk, fry it over easy.
- Pack your rice in the center of the lunch box. By situating it in the center it allows for the rice to be distributed among your ingredients versus packing it to one side.
Lunchbox Additions
Feel free to add the following as additions or substitutions for your dosirak:
- Korean bulgogi beef
- Gyeran mari
- Korean spinach
- Korean bean sprouts
- Korean Zucchini Fritters
- Canned tuna mixed with Kewpie mayo
FAQ
Do they use Bento boxes in Korea?
In Korea, they do not call it Bento boxes as bento box is a Japanese term. In Korea, the proper term is “Dosirak” pronounced as “Do-shi-rak”.
What is in a Dosirak?
Dosirak is a Korean packed lunch box with rice and banchans or side dishes such as kimchi, meat like sausage or spam, fried egg, seaweed, and other veggies. It is great for school, work, picnics and is also served at some restaurants too!
Dosirak vs bibimbap?
What is the difference between dosirak vs bibimbap? Dosirak is only made with several key ingredients featuring side dishes packed neatly in a metal lunchbox so it is convenient to take to work or school. It can be mixed like bibimbap or eaten unmixed. It's also not paired with a sauce like gochujang.
Whereas Bibimbap contains more than several ingredients with more vegetables like shitake mushrooms, carrots, spinach, bean sprouts and more. It also contains a fried egg and some form of protein. Traditionally it is served in a bowl and then mixed together with a spicy gochujang-based sauce.
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 Korean recipes you may like!
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Dosirak Korean Lunch Box
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked short grain rice
- ½ can spam sliced into 4-5 pieces
- 2 eggs one for dipping spam and one to fry sunny side up
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ¼ cup kimchi chopped
- ¼ onion thinly sliced
- 1 sheet gim crushed or sub with Korean seaweed flakes
- Sesame seeds garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Pack your cooked rice into the center and left side of the lunch box. A rice paddle or silicon spatula will be extremely helpful here.
- In a small bowl, beat one of the eggs. Then heat a pan over medium heat and lightly grease with vegetable oil. Dip each slice of spam into the beaten egg and place on the hot pan to fry until a light golden brown. Fry for just a couple of minutes per side. Remove the cooked spam and place it on right side of the lunch box.
- In the same pan set over medium high heat, lightly grease with vegetable 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 onto the left side of the lunch box on top of the rice. Save some room for the crushed nori for later.
- In the same pan (you may need to rinse it of the kimchi juice) over low heat, lightly grease with vegetable oil. Then fry your egg sunny side up or over easy (your preference). Place the cooked egg over the center of your rice.
- Garnish the lunchbox with crushed seaweed snack. Sprinkle sesame seeds over your kimchi and fried egg.
- To enjoy, break up the components with a spoon, cover with the lid, shake until everything is mixed together.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
This is what I want for lunch today. That gorgeous egg you placed on top draws me right in!
Rosemary
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!