Easy Budae Jjigae Recipe (Korean Army Base Stew)
Budae Jjigae or Korean Army Base Stew is a delicious and hearty stew that cleverly combines surplus foods from US military bases and Korean pantry basics. A spicy soup that emerged after the Korean War, it's filled with spam, hot dogs, and ramen noodles with Korean flavor elements such as anchovy stock, rice cakes, and hot pepper flakes. Easy to assemble and delicious, it's a hot pot-style meal that can be enjoyed with family and friends!
Servings: 4
Calories: 1496kcal
Equipment
- Portable Induction or Gas burner
- Large shallow braiser
Ingredients
Pre-soak:
- 4 ounces Dang Myeon or a large handful
Spicy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Gochujang Korean chile paste
- 1 Tbsp Gochukaru Korean chile flakes
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Mirin or rice wine
- 3 cloves ground garlic
Assemble in pot:
- 1 can Spam halved then cut in 1/2-inch slices
- 8 links Hot dogs and/or Sausages, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup Kimchi with juice, preferably old and mature kimchi
- 1 package Soft or Silken Tofu drained and cubed
- 1 cup rice cakes
Assemble on plate:
- 1 cup Crown Daisy or Spinach or Mixed Salad greens optional
- 1 bunch Enoki Mushrooms optional
- 1 package Instant Noodle noodles only, do not use soup base
- 4 slices processed cheese
Additional ingredients:
- 4 cups/1 Litre Anchovy or Seafood Stock (chicken stock also works) more if necessary **see notes below
Instructions
Prep ingredients:
- In a large bowl, add Dang Myeon (sweet potato noodles) and cover with cold water. Set aside and soak for 10 minutes, while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
- In a small bowl, add ingredients for spicy sauce. Mix well and set aside.
- On a serving platter, arrange the crown daisy and/or spinach, enoki mushrooms, instant noodles, and cheese slices. Bring to the table.
Assemble :
- In a large, shallow braiser, begin assembly by adding each component one at a time.
- Slice and shingle Spam. Lay down the middle of the braiser.
- Add kimchi and kimchi juice.
- Add hot dogs and/or sausages.
- Add diced tofu. I prefer soft/silken tofu, but you can use any kind you like.
- Add the Korean rice cakes and sprinkle evenly on top.
- Drain the Korean Sweet Potato noodles or Dang Myeon and add on top of everything.
- Add spicy sauce directly on top of the noodles.
To serve:
- Bring the shallow braiser to the table and place on top of the portable gas burner. Add 4 cups/1 L stock and bring to a boil.
- If you don't own a portable burner, cook on the stovetop. When everything's hot and bubbling, bring it to the table. You may have to transfer back to the stovetop to reheat.
- When the sausage is cooked through and the noodles are clear and pliable, add the instant noodles and cook for 2 more minutes. The Budae Jjigae is ready to eat. Use tongs to mix around the spicy sauce into the bubbling stew.
- While the jjigae cooks in the middle of the table, guests can help themselves from the communal pot.Add crown daisy/spinach and enoki mushrooms while it bubbles away, if using. You can also serve with additional instant noodle and cheese slices.Optional: serve with rice. Eat immediately.
Notes
*If using sausage, please make sure to check for doneness.
**Feel free to add additional seafood/chicken stock if the soup becomes too thick. I usually bring an additional box of stock (4 cups/1L) or water to the table and add as needed.
***For a milder version, adjust the spicy sauce: 1 Tbsp Gochujang, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp Mirin, 3 cloves garlic (minced).
Nutrition
Serving: 0g | Calories: 1496kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 95g | Saturated Fat: 34g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 42g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 244mg | Sodium: 3906mg | Potassium: 1320mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1710IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 289mg | Iron: 6mg