Korean Egg Salad and Cucumber Sandwiches Recipe
These simple sandwiches are inspired by Korean breakfasts and convenience-store lunches. The egg salad is creamy and slightly sweet-salty thanks to mayonnaise, soy sauce, and a bit of sugar, while fresh cucumber adds crunch. In Korea, people often grab these sandwiches in the morning on the way to work or pack them into lunch boxes for school or university.
These sandwiches bring the cozy feel of Korean convenience-store breakfasts into your own kitchen. The combination of creamy, slightly sweet egg salad with crisp cucumber and soft bread is simple yet surprisingly addictive, and they’re easy to pack for school, work, or a trip.
Chef's tips
Don’t over-mash the eggs – small pieces give the salad a better texture and keep it from turning into a heavy paste. Adjust the sweetness and saltiness to your taste by tweaking the sugar and soy sauce. If you’re packing the sandwiches, chill the egg salad first so it firms up slightly and is easier to spread neatly.
How to serve
Serve these sandwiches well chilled, cut into neat rectangles or triangles. They pair nicely with iced coffee, milk tea, or plain milk. For a more filling meal, add a simple side salad, some fruit, or a small cup of yogurt.
Ingredients
- egg - 5 piece
- mayonnaise - 3 tablespoon
- soy sauce - 1 teaspoon
- sugar - 0.5 teaspoon
- fresh cucumber - 0.5 piece
- toast bread - 6 slice
- butter - 15 g
- black pepper - 0.25 teaspoon
- chives - 10 g
Preparation
- Place the eggs in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then cook over low heat for 9–10 minutes until hard-boiled. After cooking, cover them with cold water and leave for a few minutes to make them easier to peel.
- Finely chop the peeled eggs with a knife or mash them with a fork in a bowl until you get small pieces rather than a completely smooth paste.
- Add the mayonnaise, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, and finely chopped chives to the eggs. Mix thoroughly until you get a creamy spread. Taste and, if needed, season with a pinch of salt or a bit more soy sauce.
- Wash the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the soft seedy center with a teaspoon if it is very watery, then slice it into thin pieces.
- Lightly spread the slices of toast bread with a thin layer of soft butter. If you like, you can lightly toast them first, but not too much so they don’t become hard.
- Spread an even layer of egg salad over half of the bread slices, leaving about a 0.5 cm border so the filling doesn’t squeeze out. Arrange the cucumber slices on top.
- Cover with the remaining bread slices, press gently with your hand, and cut each sandwich in half diagonally or into three narrow rectangles, like in Korean convenience stores.
- Serve immediately, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge if you want to take the sandwiches to go.
Storage
Gotowe kanapki najlepiej zjeść tego samego dnia, bo ogórek puszcza wodę i chleb mięknie. Pastę jajeczną możesz przechowywać osobno w lodówce do 2 dni i smarować świeży chleb tuż przed jedzeniem.
