Budae Jjigae aka Army Base Stew
An insanely delicious one-pot wonder that fuses the best of two worlds. Spam, hot dogs, kimchi, instant noodles, and processed cheese slices combine into a simmering pot of spicy Korean delight, best eaten with others!
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Portable gas burner and pot or electric hot pot that can be plugged in directly into the wall.
Ingredients
Pre-soak:
- 4 ounces Dang Myeon or a large handful
- 1 cup Korean rice cakes
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 sliced
- 8 links Hot dogs and/or Sausages, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup Kimchi with juice, preferably old and mature kimchi
- 1 package Tofu drained and cubed
Assemble on plate:
- 1 cup Crown Daisy or Spinach 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 Seafood Stock (chicken stock also works) more if necessary **see notes below
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Pre-soak the Dang Myeonn and rice cakes in separate bowls, with enough cold water to cover. Set aside and let soak for at least 15-20 minutes, while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Combine all spicy sauce ingredients in small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- On a separate serving platter, arrange the crown daisy and/or spinach (optional), enoki mushrooms (optional), instant noodles, and cheese slices. Bring to the table.
- In a large, shallow pot, begin assembly. Slice and shingle Spam.
- Add kimchi. The older and stinkier, the better.
- Add hot dogs/sausages.*
- Add diced tofu. I used soft/silken tofu, but you can use any kind you like.
- Drain the Korean rice cakes and sprinkle evenly over everything.
- Drain and add the Korean Sweet Potato noodles or Dang Myeon.
- Add spicy sauce. Add 4 cups/1 L seafood stock (or chicken stock)** to the pot and using a portable gas burner or electric hot pot, bring to a boil. (If you don’t own either option, see notes below).*** Let everything simmer and bubble away for 10 minutes until the sausage is cooked through and the noodles are clear and pliable. You can use a set of tongs to mix around the spicy sauce into the bubbling stew.
- Add the instant noodle and let it simmer for 2 more minutes.
- Lower heat and add cheese slices. After 30 seconds, the cheese will melt and everything should be ready to eat. Dig in!
- Koreans typically serve this over a portable gas burner or electric hot pot. While it cooks in the middle of the table, guests can help themselves from the communal pot. Add more seafood or chicken stock (up to 4 cups/ 1 L) as needed. Add crown daisy/spinach and enoki mushrooms while it bubbles away, if using. You can also serve with additional instant noodle and cheese slices.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 chicken stock (4 cups/1L) to the table and add as needed.
***This dish works best with a portable gas burner or electric hot pot. If you don’t have access to either option, follow instructions but cook on the stovetop. When everything’s hot and bubbling, bring it to the table.