Budae jjigae (army stew)

Budae jjigae, also known as army stew, is a popular Korean dish that originated during the aftermath of the Korean War. During this period of time, food was scarce and many people were starving in Korea, who turned to American military rations to create this fusion dish featuring gochujang, tteok, kimchi and tofu, but also American frankfurts, spam, baked beans and processed cheese; truly representing Korean resilience to adapt and survive during an extremely challenging period of Korean history.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 2 instant ramen cakes (see Note)
• 2 cups (500 ml) hot water
• toasted sesame seeds, to serve
• steamed rice (optional), to serve

For the base 

• 100 g kimchi
• 1 can Spam, thickly sliced
• ¼ brown onion, thinly sliced
• 1 spring onion, cut into 3 – 4 cm lengths
• 1 ½ tbsp canned baked beans
• 1 slice processed cheese
• 250 g red cocktail frankfurts
• 200 g canned brown cocktail frankfurts, drained
• 200 g tteok (Korean rice cakes), sliced

For the paste 

• 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
• ½ tbsp soybean paste (doenjang)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1½ tbsp Korean soup soy sauce or light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Korean gochugaru (fine red pepper powder)
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp sugar

Marinating time: 5 minutes

Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients for the paste in a medium bowl and allow to sit for five minutes before using. Meanwhile, arrange all the ingredients for the base of the budae jjigae in a large heavy-based saucepan. If using the Sari Gomtang ramen noodles, dissolve the flavour sachets (see Note) into the 500 ml water (or leave out if not using), then transfer the seasoned water and the budae jjigae paste into the saucepan with the base ingredients and bring to the boil.

2. Once the budae jjigae is boiling, add the instant ramen noodles to the pot. Once cooked, add an extra slice of cheese to the pan to melt. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve with rice, if you like.

Note

• This recipe works best when Sari gomtang (beef bone soup noodles) ramen noodle cakes are used. If you prefer a less spicy budae jjigae, the brand Soon Chang gochujang is recommended.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Ready-Made Noodles

Watch the full episode here

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Watch the full episode here

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