Make Squid Game's Dosirak: Traditional Korean Lunch Box At Home
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Korean culture is prominently portrayed through cuisine in the wildly successful Netflix series Squid Game. Traditional dosirak, a packed lunchbox, was added in the recently released Season 2. It has been a classic Korean lunchbox for many years, bringing together comfort food with functionality. 

These organised lunch boxes, which were featured largely in Season 2, Episode 4, have become popular on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, and fans are excited to make them at home. In addition to being a nourishing meal, a dosirak may be tailored to individual preferences because it usually includes rice, different proteins, banchan, or side dishes.

Ingredients 

  • Cooked White Rice (bap): 2 cups (short-grain preferred)
  • Korean Fish Sausage(emouk): 2 sausages
  • Eggs: 2 large
  • Kimchi: ¼ cup (chopped)
  • Soy-Braised Black Beans (kongjaban): ¼ cup
  • Dried Anchovies (myulchi): ⅓ cup
  • Vegetable Oil: for frying
  • Optional Garnishes: sesame seeds, sliced onions, seaweed flakes

Also read: Viral: Tried The Viral Dalgona Candy From OTT Show Squid Games? Here’s The Recipe!

Instruction

  • Make your rice first. For an ideal texture, short-grain rice is the best choice. To get rid of extra starch, rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clean. Cook it in whatever way you like; a rice cooker or stove will work just fine. When cooking, think about adding a little vinegar for flavour. Before placing it in your dosirak box, let it cool slightly.
  • Prepare the proteins while your rice cooks. Cut the fish sausage into small pieces. Over medium heat, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan. Cook the sausage in a bowl and cook for 3–4 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown. Take off the heat and place aside.
  • Then, in a bowl, beat one egg and pour it into the same pan. If you want a poached egg, cook it until set; if not, scramble it. After cooking, set it aside to cool a little.
  • Sliced onions should be sautéed until transparent in a separate skillet. Next, add chopped kimchi and cook for around five minutes, or until it becomes soft. You may use canned beans for soy-braised black beans; just cook them with a little soy sauce and simmer until they're heated through.

Assembling And Enjoying Dosirak

It's time to put your dosirak together! For this, use a cleaned bento box or lunchbox:

  • Put cooked rice in your lunchbox to fill around two-thirds of it.
  • Place the rice on top of the fried fish sausage.
  • In one corner of the box, put the sautéed kimchi mixture.
  • Add the dried anchovies in one part and the soy-braised black beans next to the kimchi.
  • Lastly, position your fried egg directly in the middle of the rice.
  • For a more classic bibimbap-like experience, you can mix everything before eating, or you can enjoy each ingredient individually. Consider slightly shaking your lunchbox to mix all the flavours before you start eating.

Customisation

Customisation is one of the best parts of creating dosirak at home. Although this recipe offers a traditional Squid Game-inspired variation, you may alter it to suit your tastes or as per the ingredients available to you at the time.  

  • For a vegetarian alternative, use tofu instead of fish sausage. 
  • Add more banchan, like pickled radish, stir-fried bean sprouts, or seasoned spinach.
  • For a little more zing, sprinkle your ingredients with gochujang (Korean chilli paste), or add some texture by scattering sesame seeds on top.

 This dosirak recipe is sure to please your palate and surprise friends and family, whether you're watching Squid Game or just want to try something new and different.