What is a dosirak? 🥢

Dosirak (도시락) is the Korean word for a packed lunch. A classic dosirak has rice, a main such as bulgogi or a rolled omelette, and a few small banchan (side dishes) tucked into compartments. Older-style dosirak tins were even shaken up to mix the rice and sides together!

What goes in a kid-friendly dosirak?

• Rice or a rice roll: gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) or jumeokbap (rice balls).
• A protein: gyeran-mari (rolled omelette), mild bulgogi beef, tofu jorim or fish cake.
• Two or three banchan: sigeumchi namul (sesame spinach), sweet soy potatoes, no-chilli cucumber.
• Fruit: sliced Asian pear or mandarin.

Do I need kimchi or chilli?

Not at all. Plenty of banchan are mild and kimchi-free. Every Korean recipe on Picky Bento is written without chilli; adults can add gochujang at the table.

Dosirak recipes to try

• Seaweed Snack Pack (1 min)
• Kid Gimbap Rolls (25 min)
• Mild Bulgogi Beef Rice (25 min)
• Kid Japchae (Glass Noodles) (25 min)
• Jumeokbap Rice Balls (10 min)
• Veggie Pajeon Pancake Wedges (20 min)
• Mini Gyeranjjim (Fluffy Steamed Egg) (12 min)
• Gyeran-Mari (Korean Rolled Omelette) (12 min)
• Sigeumchi Namul (Sesame Spinach) (8 min)
• Gamja Jorim (Sweet Soy Potatoes) (25 min)
• Mild Tofu Jorim (15 min)
• Eomuk Bokkeum (Fish Cake Stir-Fry) (10 min)
• Oi Muchim (No-Chilli Cucumber) (8 min)
• Kongnamul-Style Zucchini Namul (8 min)
• Korean Corn Cheese Cup (8 min)
• Korean Pear Fans (3 min)
• Family Bibimbap Bowls (35 min)
• DIY Gimbap Night (40 min)

Want a whole week? Pick 🥢 Dosirak week in the planner. New ingredients are explained in our ingredient guide.