Budae Jjigae (Army Base Stew)

Budae Jjigae (부대찌개) is also known as “Army Base Stew”. It is a type of Jjigae, a Korean dish similar to a western stew. Budae Jjigae is usually made with ham, sausage baked beans and kimchi. This dish was created in South Korea after the armistice that ended the Korean War, using the scrounged or smuggled surplus foods from the U.S. army bases (Source: Wiki).

I like hot pot dish and Budae Jjigae is definately my cup of tea. I like the combination taste of spicy chilli paste and kimchi. When I first seen Budae Jjigae, it really attracted my eyes ball. The ingreadients in it are varieties! What’s more the ingredients are reasonably cheap and easy to find. If you are making it at home yourself, you can easily find most of the ingredients at supermarket. What are you waiting for? Check out the recipe below and get all the ingredients to make it at home today! Enjoy! 🙂

Budae Jjigae Recipe

Ingredients:
For seasoning paste

2 tablespoons Korean hot pepper paste (Gochujang)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine or soju
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fermented soybean paste
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped garlic

For stew

150 grams kimchi
60 grams sliced rice cake, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes if it’s frozen
170 grams spam (half can), sliced into ¼-inch thin
170 grams hotdogs (2 links), sliced into ¼-inch thin
120 grams firm tofu (1/4 block), sliced into ¼-inch thin
140 grams cheese sausage
5 spring onions, sliced
2 tablespoons baked beans
120 grams dried Korean sweet potato vermicelli, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes
30 grams enoki mushrooms
1 slice cheddar cheese
5 cups chicken broth
120 grams instant ramen noodles

Methods:

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the stew and mix well. Set aside.
In a shallow pot, arrange kimchi, rice cake, spam, hotdogs tofu, breakfast sausage and green onion at the bottom of the pot.
Add baked beans, Korean sweet potato vermicelli, instant ramen nodles and enoki mushrooms in the middle.
Add half of the seasoning paste prepared earlier on top and pour in chicken broth.
Place cheese in the middle on top.
Cook over high heat with a portable induction cooker on a table.
When it starts boiling, continue to cook it for another 5 minutes over medium heat.
Stir and turn the ingredients with a spoon to cook evenly.
Serve right after the ramen noodles and sweet potato vermicelli have softened.
Add more stock as the broth boils down.