4 Korean Cafe Sandwiches

Sandwiches are gaining popularity in Korea because of Korea’s increased coffee consumption. Cafes on Korean streets are easy to find in many places. Among the many different types of Korean sandwiches, I will show you how to make ones that I would want to buy: crab salad, tomato basil, spicy BBQ, and one with ham, cheese, and egg. Most Korean sandwiches contain a lot of vegetables. It is great to be able to consume foods from all four food groups in one meal. These sandwiches all have different meats, but the rest of the ingredients are mostly the same, so it is easier when preparing a large number of sandwiches at once.

Yield: 4 Servings

Short Korean Lesson

• JuEui (주의) = Attention
• JipJung (집중) = Concentration

Video Instructions

Main Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Red Cabbage
• ¼ Cup Vinegar
• ¼ Cup Sugar
• ¼ tsp Salt

Sauce Ingredients:

• ½ Cup Mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp Old Style Mustard
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ½ tsp Vinegar

Preparation Directions

First, we will prepare all the basic ingredients ahead of time before assembling the sandwiches. Thinly slice 2 cups worth of red cabbage.

Combine the red cabbage, ¼ cup vinegar, ¼ cup sugar, and ¼ tsp salt. Stir it until the sugar dissolves.

Set it aside. You can also make this a day ahead of time. Every now and then, stir it so that it gets evenly pickled.

Boil 1 chicken breast for about 25 minutes on medium-high.

Boil some eggs for about 15 minutes on high. One sandwich needs 1 hard-boiled egg.

To make the special sauce, combine ½ cup of mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp of old style mustard, 1 tsp sugar, and ½ tsp lemon juice. Mix everything together. We will use this sauce to spread on most of the sandwiches.

For veggies, we need some tomatoes, onion, and iceberg lettuce.

Take out the center part of the iceberg lettuce, so that it will be easier to separate each leaf. Fold 1 or 2 leaves into a square that is sized to fit on the bread like this.

Thinly slice the tomatoes and onion.

When the pickled cabbage has enough flavor, drain out the liquid so that it will not make your sandwich soggy.

Depending on your tastes, pick your favorite lunch meats such as ham, turkey, and chicken. We like to use uncured processed meat like this since it doesn’t contain nitrates or nitrites. The flavor is pretty good too. So, all the ingredients are prepared, so let’s start to make the sandwiches.

 

1. Ham, Cheese, and Egg Sandwich (1 Serving)

For the first sandwich, I will start with a classic and common sandwich: ham, cheese, and egg sandwich.

Main Ingredients:

• 2 Slices White Sandwich Bread (4 tsp Mustard Mayo Sauce)
• 1 Slice American Cheese
• 2-3 Slices Ham
• 1 Hard-boiled Egg
• 4 Raw Sweet Onion Rings
• 2 Slices Tomatoes
• ⅓ Cup Pickled Red Cabbage
• 2 Leaves Iceberg Lettuce

Directions

By now, the eggs will be hard-boiled.

Peel the egg shell and slice it thinly like this.

Spread the mustard mayo sauce evenly over 2 slices of bread, about 2 teaspoons each.

Place a sheet of deli or wax paper (12 x 12 inch) on the table and put one slice of the bread on top. Put one slice of American cheese on top. I recommend trying this deli paper that I got from Amazon.

Put 2-3 slices of ham on top of the cheese.

Then, put the egg slices on top.

Now, put 4 onion rings and then 2 slices of tomatoes on top of the egg. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on the tomato.

Next, put about ⅓ cup of pickled red cabbage and iceberg lettuce on the tomato.

Cover it with another slice of the bread.

Then, wrap the sandwich with the deli paper tightly as if you are wrapping a gift.

Tape the top then tape both sides.

Cut the sandwich in half with a bread knife like this. It looks colorful and vivid.

 

2. Crab Salad Sandwich (1 Serving)

For seafood lovers, we will make a crab salad sandwich.

Main Ingredients:

• 2 Slices White Sandwich Bread (4 tsp Mustard Mayo Sauce)
• 1 Slice American Cheese
• ½ Cup Crab Salad
• 4 Raw Sweet Onion Rings
• 2 Slices Tomatoes
• ⅓ Cup Pickled Red Cabbage
• 2 Leaves Iceberg Lettuce

Crab Salad Ingredients:

• ½ Cup Crab Sticks
• 2 Tbsp Mustard Mayo Sauce
• ½ tsp Yellow Mustard

Directions

Shred ½ cup worth of crab sticks with your hands. This amount makes 1 sandwich, so if you want to make more, you can double or triple the amount.

Add 2 Tbsp of the mustard mayo sauce we made earlier and ½ tsp of yellow mustard for extra mustard flavor to it.

Mix it all together. The mustard mayo sauce makes this an easy recipe to make.

Start with a slice of the bread and put the cheese and crab salad on top.

Then, put ⅓ cup of pickled red cabbage on top.

Then add 2 slices of tomato with a pinch of salt and black pepper next. Then put the onion on top.

Put the iceberg lettuce on top and finish it off with a slice of bread. In the same way, wrap the sandwich and cut it in half.

 

3. Tomato Basil Sandwich (1 Serving)

If you ever tried basil pesto, you will know how it can upgrade the flavor to make an artisan sandwich. So, for the third sandwich, let’s make a tomato basil sandwich.

Main Ingredients:

• 2 Slices White Sandwich Bread (4 tsp Basil Pesto)
• 1 Slice American Cheese
• 2-3 Slices Turkey or Chicken
• 4 Raw Sweet Onion Rings
• 2 Slices Tomatoes
• ⅓ Cup Pickled Red Cabbage
• 2 Leaves Iceberg Lettuce

Directions

Spread the basil pesto evenly over 2 slices of bread, using about 2 teaspoons for each slice. You can put the mustard mayo sauce on one slice of the bread instead of the pesto.

Put cheese on top of a slice of bread.

Add 2-3 slices of lunch meat.

Add ⅓ cup pickled red cabbage.

Add 2 slices of tomato (with 1 pinch each of salt and pepper), along with 4 onion rings.

Add the iceberg lettuce.

Finally, cover it with another slice of bread. Wrap and cut it.

 

4. B.B.Q Chicken Sandwich (1 Serving)

Since we all love Korean food, most of you will want something spicy. Right? Yes, the spicy chicken sandwich that we are going to make is popular in Korea too.

Main Ingredients:

• 2 Slices White Sandwich Bread (4 tsp Mustard Mayo Sauce)
• ½ Cup Cooked Chicken Breast (2 Tbsp BiBiGo Gochujang BBQ Sauce)
• 1 Slice American Cheese
• 4 Raw Sweet Onion Rings
• 2 Slices Tomatoes
• ⅓ Cup Pickled Red Cabbage
• 2 Leaves Iceberg Lettuce

Directions

Shred the cooked chicken. We need about ½ of it for 1 sandwich.

Here, I want to introduce my husband’s favorite Korean BBQ sauce. Our boys love it too. This sauce will magically make a delicious bbq chicken for your sandwich.

Mix the chicken with 2 Tbsp of bibigo Gochujang bbq sauce. If you have any other bbq sauce at home, try it too.

Start with 1 slice of bread with 2 tsp of mustard mayo sauce spread on it, then add 1 slice American cheese and ½ cup bbq chicken.

Add ⅓ cup pickled red cabbage.

Add 2 slices of tomato (with 1 pinch each of salt and pepper) and then 4 onion rings.

Add the iceberg lettuce.

Finally, cover it with another slice of bread. Wrap and cut it.

Wow, we made 4 different kinds of sandwiches today. It wasn’t that difficult, especially using a simple homemade sauce and store bought sauces.

 

Please try these beautiful and scrumptious Korean sandwiches someday. The visual for these sandwiches are at the Korean cafe or restaurant level. You will love them and feel full by eating just 1 sandwich.