Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew)

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

This hearty and delicious spicy budae jjigae stew is a Korean army base recipe made with spam, sausage, ramen noodles, kimchi, and spicy seasonings.

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) can fully cooked luncheon meat (such as SPAM®), sliced
14 ounces smoked sausage (such as Eckrich®), sliced
1 large onion, sliced
6 ounces kimchi
1/4 cup Korean red pepper powder
3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 (32 ounce) containers chicken broth
7 3/4 ounces ramen noodles (such as Ottogi Ramyonsari®)
1 slice American cheese

Directions

1 Divide luncheon meat into 2 piles on either side of a stock pot; layer sausage, onion, and kimchi on top, leaving an empty space in the center of the pot.
2 Combine red pepper powder, gochujang, soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper in a small bowl; pour into center of the pot. Sprinkle in green onions; pour in chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.
3 Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add ramen noodles and cook, stirring until partially cooked and softened, about 2 minutes. Drain; transfer to pot with meat-kimchi mixture. Cook and stir until ramen noodles are tender but firm to the bite, about 5 minutes. Top stew with cheese.