Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)

Budae Jjigae, also known as Korean Army Stew, is a dish that combines the essence of Korean cuisine with an interesting historical twist. This comforting stew features a variety of ingredients, including kimchi, instant noodles, tofu, vegetables and different types of sausage or Spam, all simmered together in a spicy, savory broth. Often called “army stew,” it’s a popular Korean comfort food known for its versatility, making it perfect for sharing with friends or family.

The origins of Budae Jjigae trace back to the Korean War in the 1950s, when food scarcity forced locals to get creative with available ingredients. After the war, surplus American military rations like Spam, hot dogs, and canned beans found their way into Korean kitchens, where they were paired with traditional flavors like gochujang (Korean chili paste) and kimchi. The result was Budae Jjigae. This dish became a symbol of resilience and ingenuity during difficult times.

Budae Jjigae Ingredients

For the Sauce

• 2 teaspoons Crispy Chili oil
• 2 Tablespoons Soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons Gochugaru spice powder (if you like less spicy, just add less)

Other Ingredients

• 1 Cabanossi Sausage, sliced (150g) – or any other smoked sausage of your preference
• 2 Hot dog sausages (100g)
• 5 oz. Pancetta (150g)
• 2 Onions, chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup Leek, chopped
• 2 Carrots, chopped (around 100g)
• 1 Pak choy, chopped (around 150g)
• 1½ cup Mushrooms, sliced (around 120g)
• 1 can Baked Beans
• 1 Instant Ramen Dry Instant Noodles – Shin Ramyun
• ¼ cup Kimchi
• ⅓ cup Green onions, chopped
• 3½ cups Boiling water (830ml)
• 1 cup Tofu, sliced (around 200g)

Ingredients Substitutions

• This is a very versatile dish. Feel free to add other or exchange vegetables that you have or prefer. I love adding leek, carrots and pak choy, but cabbage and bean sprouts are also great additions!
• Same applies to the meat, I like adding smoked sausage, hot dogs and bacon. However, the traditional recipes uses Spam. Feel free to include it if you like spam or can easily find it in your Asian store nearby.
• I recommend using Shin Ramyun as Instant Ramen Noodles. But any instant noodle will do.

How to Make Budae Jjigae

1. Start by preparing the sauce. Add all ingredients for the sauce into a small bowl. Mix it well and reserve.
2. In a deep pan, cook the Cabanossi and the bacon together. No need to add extra oil, since these two types of meat will lose a lot of fat during cooking. Cook it on medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes. Reserve.
3. Add the onion and leek and cook them for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Place all the carrots, pak choy and green onions at the bottom of the pan.
4. Place each ingredient on a part of the pot. Do not mix. I like to alternate the meat with the vegetables, so everything has more flavor. Add the sauce on top of everything and then add the water, enough to almost cover everything.
5. Once everything is boiling, set the heat to medium-low and leave it cooking with the lid on for about 15 minutes. Do not mix the ingredients.
6. After the 15 minutes. Open the lid and add the dried instant noodles on the middle. Do not add the seasoning of the package, just the noodles. Try to push it a bit under the liquid to cook better. Leave it cooking, without the lid, for another 3-5minutes (depending on the package instructions). The noodles will absorb the sauce and the amazing stew flavors
7. The Korean army stew is ready. Serve it on top of rice. Garnish with a melting cheese of your preference and green onions.

Recipe Tips

• Layer Ingredients: Start with vegetables at the bottom, followed by meats and tofu, for even cooking.
• After adding the ingredients to the pot, do not mix the ingredients anymore. You don’t want the tofu to break for example, and you want the ingredients to stay on their “part” and not all mixed together. When you are serving, people can choose what they want to add to their plate: meat, noodles, tofu, vegetables etc.
• Make sure to add cheese on your plate when serving. I don’t like adding cheese directly into the pot, because it makes everything a mess. Adding the cheese on the plate, not only you can control how much cheese you want, it keeps the stew “clean”.

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