What is budae jjigae?
Budae means military unit, and jjigae means stew. In English the dish is called army stew or Korean army stew. It started after the Korean War in towns with US military bases, the best known being Uijeongbu, north of Seoul. Meat was scarce, so cooks simmered sausage, Spam and baked beans from the bases' supplies with kimchi and gochujang. Today Uijeongbu has a street of budae jjigae restaurants. There you order the stew in a wide pot for the whole table.
The right ingredients
- Spam and sausages: You can get Spam in an Asian grocery store. Canned luncheon meat tastes similar. For sausages, use wieners or hot dogs, sliced on the diagonal.
- Kimchi: Aged, sour kimchi gives the broth depth. Fresh kimchi tastes flat in a stew. You can make your own with the recipe for kimchi.
- Gochujang and gochugaru: The paste brings heat, sweetness and savoriness, and the flakes a fruity heat. You can read more about the paste under gochujang. Replace gochugaru with mild chili powder. Cayenne burns hotter, so use no more than a pinch.
- Instant noodles: Korean ramyeon noodles hold up in the broth longer than thin instant noodles. You do not need the seasoning packet. If you add part of it to the broth, leave out the soy sauce.
- Broth: The card uses chicken broth. In Korea, restaurants also cook with anchovy and kombu broth or beef bone broth.
How to cook budae jjigae
Prepare the seasoning paste
Stir the gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, sugar and soy sauce into a paste beforehand. That way the chili flakes release their aroma into the broth from the start. Drizzle the sesame oil over only at the end.
Fill the pot
For the table, arrange the Spam, sausages, kimchi and tofu in separate groups side by side in a wide, shallow pot. The paste goes in the middle, then you pour in the broth. On a tabletop burner, the stew simmers in front of all the guests, and everyone ladles from the pot.
Noodles last
The instant noodles go in for the last 4 to 5 minutes. Serve the stew as soon as they are done, because the noodles soak up broth. Keep 200 ml of hot broth or water ready for topping up.
Common mistakes
- Too salty: Spam, sausage, kimchi and gochujang bring a lot of salt. Add half the soy sauce at first and taste at the end.
- Too little broth: With under 1 liter for four people, hardly any soup is left after the noodles.
- Noodles too early: After 10 minutes in the pot they fall apart.
Variations and add-ins
The classic version includes 2 tbsp of baked beans and a slice of processed cheese. The cheese melts into the broth and makes it creamy. Korean rice cakes (tteok) make the stew more filling. Enoki mushrooms, ground meat or napa cabbage work too. For less heat, halve the gochugaru and use 1 tbsp of gochujang.
What to serve with it
In Korea you eat budae jjigae with a bowl of rice per person. For a quick noodle meal without a stew, try ramyeon with egg and kimchi. You can find more ideas for instant noodles under upgrading instant noodles. If you like sour stews, cook kimchi jjigae too.
