Today I’m going to show you how to make a delicious and simple Korean-style sandwich from my youth! It’s called a Three color sandwich (or Samsaek sandwich in Korean: 삼색 샌드위치). It’s light, crispy, and juicy, with lots of flavor. It’s great for a light snack or picnic.

Traditional Korean meals are centered around rice or noodles, so there was a time when sandwiches were a new, novel food in Korea. As I mentioned in the video, some of my university seniors taught me how to make these sandwiches, and I’ve been making them for my family for years. Enjoy the recipe!

three color sandwich

Ingredients

12 slices of white milk bread, or white bread

The green filling:

  • 1 english cucumber, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

The yellow filling:

  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, with the whites removed
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

The red filling:

  • 4 slices of cooked ham, pat dried and chopped
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons mayonaise

Directions

Make fillings:

  1. For the green filling, mix the cucumber and salt together in a small bowl and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, until they sweat.
  2. Squeeze out any excess water with cotton cloth from the cucumber.squeeze cucumber juice
  3. Put the squeezed cucumber back into the bowl, and mix with the pepper and mayonnaise.
  4. For the yellow filling, break the yolks with a spoon in a bowl and mix in all the ingredients.
  5. For the red filling, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.3 color bowls

Build sandwiches:

  1. Lay 3 slices of bread on your cutting board, side by side.
  2. Divide the egg mixture into 3 portions and spread a portion on each slice.
  3. Add a slice of bread on top to each.bread
  4. Divide the cucumber mixture into 3 portions and spread a portion on each slice again. Add three more slices of bread.
  5. Divide the ham mixture into 3 portions and spread a portion on each slice.ham
  6. Add three more final slices of bread, to make a sandwich stack.
  7. Gently press each stack with your hands and cut off the bread edges. Cut each sandwich in half to make a total of 6 sandwich pieces.Slice Three color sandwich
  8. Serve on a plate or pack it in a lunchbox for later. Be sure to save the leftover edges, and eat them as-is or bake them for 10 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit until they are lightly crispy.

Posted on Wednesday, July 26th, 2017. Last updated on October 4, 2021.
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16 Comments:

  1. Larrizen Stockholm, Sweden joined 6/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted June 24th, 2020 at 5:15 am | or create a profile.

    My girlfriend and I made your awesome Samsaek sandwich for our picknick to celebrate Midsummer this year, which is like the biggest holiday here in Sweden.

    They were so tasty and we can’t wait to make more, thank you so much Maangchi for sharing all your wonderful recipes!!


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  2. Deya San Antonio, Texas joined 4/18 & has 2 comments
    Posted January 7th, 2020 at 3:56 pm | or create a profile.

    Thanks so much for this recipe! It’s a saver for field trips and just about any party we have.

  3. Reahan Gold Coast joined 10/17 & has 6 comments
    Posted May 11th, 2018 at 5:32 pm | or create a profile.

    Good day,

    Maangchi, I had made my Samsaek Sandwiches. My husband loves it


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  4. WitchyWoman Castle Rock, WA joined 5/17 & has 1 comment
    Posted October 25th, 2017 at 7:52 pm | or create a profile.

    Thank you for this recipe, Maangchi. I’ve made them a couple of times for my husband and myself. We really enjoy these and so simple to make! I’ve been watching your videos for a while now but this is the first time I have commented. You are my Korean food guru!

  5. Bekapeluchina United states joined 10/17 & has 1 comment
    Posted October 9th, 2017 at 6:04 pm | or create a profile.

    Thank you maangchi


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  6. Celinejph FRANCE joined 1/16 & has 6 comments
    Posted September 20th, 2017 at 11:18 pm | or create a profile.

    My brothers loved them, i didn’t even have time to take the picture that they already took some of them x)


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  7. shimeringstars McKees Rocks joined 6/17 & has 13 comments
    Posted August 8th, 2017 at 2:35 pm | or create a profile.

    I used your suggested egg substitute and they turned out just as delicious. I look forward to many more of your recipes.


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  8. kynswain Ohio joined 7/17 & has 1 comment
    Posted July 31st, 2017 at 11:51 am | or create a profile.

    I couldn’t wait to try this sandwich; My boys even loved it and they are super picky eaters. Thank you Maangchi <3


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  9. shimeringstars McKees Rocks joined 6/17 & has 13 comments
    Posted July 31st, 2017 at 11:05 am | or create a profile.

    I want to make this for a friend but they have an allergy to eggs, so my question is, is there anything I can substitute in place of the eggs?

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