Go Back

Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew)

Popular Korean fusion dish featuring processed American food products
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Korean
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 block spam, sliced
  • 1/2 block tofu, sliced
  • 2 links hot dog or sausage, sliced
  • 1 cup kimchi, chopped
  • 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms (enoki or any mushroom will do)
  • 1/2 cup cabbage, chopped
  • 3/4 cup rice cakes
  • 6-8 bibigo savory chicken potstickers Or your dumpling/potsticker of choice
  • 1 pack ramen noodles
  • 2 oz Korean glass noodles Also called sweet potato noodles
  • 2 tbsp canned baked beans *optional
  • 2 green onions, chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 slices yellow cheese
  • 5-6 cups broth Dashi, chicken, vegetable, or any broth will do. If adding the glass noodles, you will need to use the full 6 cups of broth

Seasoning Paste

  • 2 tbsp garlic, minced About 6-8 cloves
  • 2 heaping tbsp Korean red pepper paste
  • 1 tbsp Korean red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp water

Instructions
 

  • Soak your rice cakes and Korean glass noodles in cold water and set aside for about 10 minutes.
  • To a wide pot with shallow sides, add broth and kimchi and bring to a simmer. If planning to add glass noodles to your stew, you will need to use the full 6 cups of broth. Let cook for about 10 minutes.
  • While the kimchi broth is cooking, combine all the ingredients for the seasoning paste into a bowl. Mix and set aside. You can also chop up your vegetables and meats.
  • Take your pot off the heat and arrange all the ingredients over the broth except for the cheese and green onions.  Don't forget drain and add the rice cakes and glass noodles.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 4 minutes with lid closed.
  • Top with cheese slices and chopped green onions and allow to simmer with lid closed for an additional 2 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
  • Serve immediately by itself or with cooked rice.
Keyword army base stew, budae jjigae, budaejjigae, korean army base stew, korean fusion, korean stew, spam, stew