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Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)

Budae jjigae, or Korean army stew, was born in the years after the Korean War when locals combined surplus American tinned meats with Korean flavours. The result is one of the most loved comfort dishes in Korea, a bubbling hotpot of spam, sausages, kimchi and instant noodles in a fiery red broth.

It sounds chaotic, and it is, in the best possible way. The salty meats, tangy kimchi and spicy gochujang broth all melt together, and a slice of cheese on top turns the whole thing rich and silky as it melts into the soup.

It's also about the easiest one-pot dinner going. Arrange everything in the pot, pour over the broth, and let it bubble away at the table if you have a portable burner. Instant crowd-pleaser.

Servings
4
Prep Time
15
mins
Cook Time
20
mins
Ingredients
16
Total Time
35
mins

Pantry bits

  • Wide shallow pot or Korean hotpot pan
  • Portable gas burner (optional, for cooking at the table)
  • Small mixing bowl
  • Ladle and tongs

Ingredients

  • 200g spam, sliced 1cm thick
  • 4 cheese kransky or frankfurt sausages, sliced diagonally
  • 200g kimchi, roughly chopped
  • 150g firm tofu, sliced
  • 1 packet instant ramyeon noodles (seasoning sachet discarded)
  • 100g rice cakes (tteok), optional
  • 1 tin (400g) baked beans, drained (optional but traditional)
  • 1 small brown onion, sliced
  • 2 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
  • 100g enoki or button mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp gochujang
  • 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock
  • 2 slices processed cheese

Instructions

  1. Make the sauce by mixing the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce and garlic in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of water until smooth.
  2. Arrange the spam, sausages, kimchi, tofu, onion, mushrooms, rice cakes and baked beans in neat sections in a wide shallow pot. This is half the fun of budae jjigae.
  3. Dollop the sauce into the centre of the pot, then gently pour the chicken stock down the side so you don't disturb the arrangement.
  4. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer for 8-10 minutes so the flavours come together and the kimchi softens.
  5. Add the instant noodles and push them down into the broth. Simmer for 3 minutes until just tender; they'll keep cooking in the hot soup.
  6. Lay the cheese slices on top and scatter over the spring onions. Let the cheese melt into the broth for a minute.
  7. Serve straight from the pot at the table with bowls of steamed rice, topping up with extra stock if the broth reduces too much.

Other recipes

Nasi Kuning (Indonesian Yellow Rice)
Opor Ayam (Chicken in Coconut Curry)
Martabak Telur (Savoury Stuffed Pancake)

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