Budae Jiggae is a savoury and hearty Korean Army Stew that consists of simmering a variety of ingredients in a hot spicy broth right at the table.
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When the weather gets cold and chilly, all I want to eat is something steamy and comforting.
Chinese hot pot and hot soup noodles, such as Vietnamese beef pho are my favourites.
But lately, I've delved more into Korean food, and discovered that there's a dish that epitomizes hot pot and noodles into one.
What is budae jiggae?
In Korean, it literally means "army base stew."
Budae Jiggae is a thick, spicy, hearty stew flavoured with anchovy broth and gochujang.
History of budae jiggae
Food was scarce in South Korean after the Korean War.
Buddae Jiggae was created by using the food supplies left over from the war.
The people who lived around US Army bases collected surplus food such as processed meats, such as SPAM and hotdogs and canned food such as baked beans.
It is also known as "Jonseun Tang" ("Johnson Soup") as the President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson was purported to have enjoyed the stew on a visit to South Korea.
Why you'll love this recipe
Similar to Chinese-style hot pot, everything cooks together in one pot.
You can adapt the recipe to add what you like to it.
It's a cozy, belly-warming dish that will be sure to warm you up.
Ingredients you'll need
Budae jiggae is a traditionally meat-centric dish and usually includes:
- SPAM: sliced canned luncheon meat
- hotdogs: or mini Vienna sausages
- tofu: can be soft or firm
- canned beans
- instant noodles: packaged noodles without the seasoning packet
- tteok cakes): are Korean rice cakes that can come in 2 different forms: thinly sliced, or in cylindrical logs, as used in tteokbokki. For this stew, the sliced ones are easier to work with since they will cook up quickly. Korean rice cakes can be found in Asian supermarkets, sometimes in the frozen section, and are used in tteokbokki, tteokkochi, or sotteok..
- cheese: usually American processed cheese
- veggies: such as mushrooms or cabbage
For the soup broth:
- gochujang: is a Korean spicy red pepper paste that is found in Korean/Asian supermarkets. If you're not able to find gochujang, you can try using a mixture of 1 tablespoon miso paste and 2 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce with 1 teaspoon of sugar.
- gochugaru: is known as Korean red pepper flakes. They are more finely ground than conventional red pepper flakes and milder in spiciness. However, it has a slightly sweet and smoky flavour.
- anchovy paste: adds a salty, umami flavour
- vegetable broth: you can use a dashi broth as well
Gochugaru is commonly used in dishes such as Spicy Korean Tofu in Gochujang Sauce (Dubu Jorim), Spicy Gochujang Eggs in Purgatory and in Korean Bibimbap.
Substitutions/variations
If you don't have access to gochugaru, you can use regular red pepper flakes, but use less.
You won't get that sweet and smoky flavour found in the Korean version, but it will give you that slight spicy kick.
To add some variety to your Budae Jiggae, try adding:
- dumplings: mandu
- sliced potatoes
- sausage/ham
- meatballs
- bean sprouts
- onions: or green onions
- mushrooms: enoki, shiitake, oyster or button
- eggs
How to prepare
You'll need a large shallow pot to prepare budae jiggae.
Typically, it is served at the table on a hot plate burner to keep the stew piping hot (similar to Chinese hotpot).
However, if you don't have a hot plate burner, you can still make this over the stove.
Most of the work in preparing this dish is in opening the cans! It's such a simple dish!
Then, place the ingredients into the shallow pot with the anchovy and gochujang broth.
Slowly simmer the stew over the hotplate.
It's a slow-paced meal, where family gather together at the table to enjoy the dish piping hot.
You can serve the budae jiggae with rice, kimchi, and banchan on the side.
How to serve
Budae Jiggae is served family-style, tableside with the main pot in the centre.
Each person has their own bowl and shares from the hot pot.
You can serve the Korean army stew with a bowl of steamed rice and other Korean side dishes (banchan) such as kimchi, Korean Braised Potatoes (Gamja Jorim) and Spicy Korean Tofu in Gochujang Sauce (Dubu Jorim).
Other recipes you may like
Be sure to check out to check out these recipes:
Jjajangmyeon (Korean Noodles in Black Bean Sauce)
Spicy Gochujang Eggs in Purgatory
Korean Braised Potatoes (Gamja Jorim)
Spicy Korean Tofu in Gochujang Sauce (Dubu Jorim)
Matcha Hotteok (Sweet Korean Pancakes)
Let me know if you try this comforting, hearty and delicious soul-warming recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!
Budae Jiggae (Korean Army Stew)
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Soup base:
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
- 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- 2 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated cane sugar
- 3 C vegetable broth
- 1 can SPAM sliced
- 1 can Vienna sausages or cocktail wieners, sliced on the diagonal
- 1 pkg enoki mushrooms stems removed and gently rinsed
- ½ package firm tofu sliced
- ¼ C kimchi
- ¼ C tteok Korean rice cakes, rinsed
- 1 slice American processed cheese optional
- 1 egg
- 1 pkg instant noodles noodles only
- 2 tablespoon green onions sliced
Instructions
Make the soup base:
- In a large bowl, mix together soup base ingredients. Add in the vegetable broth and mix together.
Assemble the budae jiggae:
- In a large shallow pot, place the ingredients except for the instant noodles and egg. Pour the soup base over top of the ingredients.
- Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over medium heat (on the stove or a hot plate burner) until the stew begins to simmer, about 10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and add in the instant noodles and raw egg. Continue to simmer until the noodles and egg are cooked.
- Garnish with green onions and serve immediately. You can eat as is or serve with steamed rice and banchan (Korean side dishes).
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
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