• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sift & Simmer
Matcha, tea-infused baking recipes & modern Asian favourites
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Pantry
    • Matcha 101: A Beginner's Guide
    • Hojicha 101: A Beginner's Guide
  • Subscribe
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Pasta & Noodles

    Budae Jiggae (Korean Army Stew)

    Published: Mar 19, 2020 by Michelle · Leave a Comment

    Share this recipe!

    • Facebook
    • Email
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    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.

    A stoneware pot filled with budae jiggae ingredients on wooden board with linen in front.

    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.

    A stoneware pot filled with budae jiggae ingredients on wooden board with linen in front.
    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.
    • 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

    A stoneware pot filled with budae jiggae ingredients on wooden board with linen in front, ladle on side, ingredients in bowl in background..

    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.

    A stoneware pot filled with cooked budae jiggae on wooden board, chopsticks coming from the left, with linen in front.

    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:

    Korean Bibimbap

    Jjajangmyeon (Korean Noodles in Black Bean Sauce)

    Spicy Gochujang Eggs in Purgatory

    Kimchi Fried Rice

    Korean Braised Potatoes (Gamja Jorim)

    Spicy Korean Tofu in Gochujang Sauce (Dubu Jorim)

    Injeolmi Cream Buns

    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!

    A stoneware pot filled with budae jiggae ingredients on wooden board with linen in front, ladle on side, extra ingredients in bowl.

    Print Recipe

    Budae Jiggae (Korean Army Stew)

    A hearty and savoury Korean dish with a variety of ingredients simmered in a pot, enjoyed at the table.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Korean
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 427kcal
    Author: Michelle

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    *This is a starch-heavy stew, so you may need to adjust the amount of liquid in the pot, as the rice cakes and instant noodles will absorb quite a bit of liquid.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 2834mg | Potassium: 527mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1741IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg

    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.

    Did you try this recipe?Mention @siftandsimmer or tag #siftandsimmer!
    « Raspberry & SunButter Chocolate Oat Bars
    Hojicha Black Sesame Oat Latte »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    About Me

    My name is Michelle and Sift & Simmer is a food recipe blog featuring easy, creative and delicious recipes. I believe that the best food is made from scratch. Read More…

    Follow Me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube

    Popular Recipes

    Matcha Snickerdoodle Cookies

    Matcha con Panna (Matcha with Cream)

    Matcha Latte

    Matcha 101: A Beginner's Guide

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    About

    Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    Subscribe for the latest recipes and updates directly to your inbox!

    Contact

    Contact

    Copyright © 2017-2023 Sift & Simmer

    All images and content are copyright protected. Do not use without prior permission.