Japanese sandwiches are different from Aussie sandwiches. They are basically a traditional English tea sandwich. They are known for their simplicity, and they make a plate of sandwiches visually attractive using just a few different fillings.
In this recipe, I made mixed sandwiches, which is called 'mikkusu sando' in Japanese, that consist of hamu sando (ham sandwiches), tamago sando (egg sandwiches), and chikin sando (chicken sandwiches). See the video.
Cook Time does not include the time to cook boiled egg and chicken.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 2 slices Japanese sandwich bread (note 1)
- 2 tsp butter softened
- 1 slice ham (note 2)
- 1 slice mature cheddar cheese (note 3)
- 5 strips thinly sliced cucumber (note 4)
- 4 slices tomatoes (note 5)
- 1 tsp karashi (Japanese mustard, note 6)
- 2 boiled eggs finely diced (note 7)
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper
- Butter lettuce (note 8)
- 70g/2.5oz chicken steamed or boiled, shredded (note 9)
- 30g/1.1oz celery finely sliced
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/8 tsp shiro dashi (optional, note 10)
- Salt & pepper
- 2 sprigs curly parsley (note 11)
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Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread and place them on a work bench, buttered side up.
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Spread karashi mustard on one side of the bread.
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Place cheese on the mustard, then place ham on it. If the ham is larger than the bread, fold the edges so that the ham is contained within the surface of the bread.
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Place tomato slices covering the ham. You may halve the round tomato slice to fill the gaps.
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Place the cucumber strips lengthwise, evenly overlapping each other.
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Place the other slice of bread on top, buttered side down, then press down gently with your palm.
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Remove your palm and leave it for 5 minutes or so to let the ingredients blend in.
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Using a sharp knife (do not use a serrated knife), trim the crust off each slice. Ensure that the corner of the bread is 90 degrees (note 12).
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Cut the sandwich in half lengthwise, then cut them perpendicular to the first cut into three equal widths. You should have 6 small pieces.
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Mix all the Filling ingredients in a bowl, excluding lettuce.
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Spread the egg filling on a slice of bread. Ensure that the edges are filled with the egg mixture. Try to spread the filling slightly thinner in the centre of the bread (note 13).
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Place the lettuce on top, fully covering the egg filling.
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Follow the Ham Sando steps 5, 6, 7, and 8.
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Mix all the Filling ingredients in a bowl.
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Spread the chicken filling on a slice of bread. Ensure that the edges are filled with the chicken mixture. Try to spread the filling slightly thinner in the centre of the bread (note 13)
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Follow the Ham Sando steps 5, 6, 7, and 8.
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To serve individually, place 3 sandwich pieces with the same filling next to each other on a serving plate. It will look good if you stagger them slightly.
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Place the three pieces with other filling next to the first row in the same way, then place the last three pieces.
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Place a sprig of parsley on the side of the plate.
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If you are serving on a large plate, you can either cluster the sandwiches with the same fillings together or scatter them.
1. Japanese sandwich bread is a loaf of thinly sliced (about 1cm/⅜" thick) white bread that is called ‘shokupan’ (食パン). It is called Japanese milk bread in English.
I bought a loaf of sliced sandwich bread from a Japanese grocery store that stocks some bread from Fuji Bakery in Killarney Heights. You can also buy bread directly from Fuji Bakery.
If you Google search ‘shokupan’ you might find an online shop that sells it.
You might also find a bag of frozen shokupan that contains 4 or 6 slices at Asian grocery stores. You can make thin sandwich slices from 6-slice (2cm/¾" thick) shokupan per below:
i) Place a slice on a workbench, then place two 1cm/⅜" thick sticks next to the bread, on horizontal sides. I used long bamboo spatulas that I bought from Kmart. The thickness of the handle was about 1cm/⅜".
ii) Using a long sharp knife (don’t use a serrated knife as it does not cut cleanly), start from the right edge of the bread (for the right hander).
iii) Gently slice the bread horizontally, making sure that the blade of the knife always touches the two sticks.
2. I used a piece of leg ham, but you can use any kind of ham. You could use turkey or chicken ham if you wish, but I think the pink colour of the ham goes better with the other ingredients.
3. I used sliced tasty cheese, which is matured cheddar. Colby, Swiss, and Gouda cheese also go well with it.
4. The length of the strip needs to be the same as the width (longer width) of the bread. I used a slicer to make 2mm thick cucumber strips and the width of the cucumber strip was about 3cm/1⅛". The idea is to place the cucumber pieces overlapping each other.
5. The thickness of my tomato was 2-3mm. Any thicker than that will look unbalanced among other ingredients.
6. Unlike Western-style mustard, karashi mustard does not contain acidity, and it is quite hot. The best alternative for karashi is English mustard.
7. You can dice the boiled eggs with a knife, but I used an egg slicer and slice each egg three times by rotating the egg vertically, then horizontally.
8. You can use iceberg lettuce or other soft green salad leaves such as coral leaf lettuce.
9. For the first trial, I used some leftover chicken meat from Easiest Chinese Chicken Broth. You can also use leftover roast chicken meat.
10. Shiro dashi adds a touch of umami, saltiness and sweetness to the filling.
11. Most Japanese cafes serve sandwiches with a sprig of parsley. I think a couple of cornichons on a toothpick works well too.
12. The sliced bread might not be in an exact rectangle shape. You need to adjust the width of the crust when trimming off.
13. It makes the sliced sandwiches look better and sits well with the thicker side on the plate.
14. Nutrition per serving. It is assumed that the optional shiro dashi is not used in Chikin Sando.
serving: 286g calories: 613kcal fat: 33g (51%) saturated fat: 11g (55%) trans fat: 0.3g polyunsaturated fat: 10g monounsaturated fat: 9.8g cholesterol: 254mg (85%) sodium: 1129mg (47%) potassium: 442mg (13%) carbohydrates: 50g (17%) dietary fibre: 3.3g (13%) sugar: 7.3g protein: 27g vitamin a: 25% vitamin c: 8.9% calcium: 21% iron: 27%