Budae Jjigae Recipe: Korean Army Stew with Ramen and Spam

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! It's Yul from KVIBE IDOLS. Today's stew has a surprising story. Budae jjigae, Korean army stew.

After the Korean War, food was scarce. Near American army bases, people used ham, sausages and canned meat, and cooked them Korean style with kimchi and chili paste. The city of Uijeongbu is famous for it. Today it's a comfort food everyone loves.

Let's cook. In a wide shallow pot, arrange sliced Spam, sausages, chopped kimchi, sliced onion, mushrooms, tofu and green onion.

Now the sauce. Mix one spoon of chili flakes, one spoon of gochujang, one spoon of soy sauce, a little minced garlic, and a little sugar. Put it in the middle.

Pour in about three cups of broth, or water with a little kimchi juice. Boil it at the table if you can.

When it's bubbling, add one pack of instant ramen noodles. Don't use the soup powder, or just a little. Add a slice of cheese on top. When the noodles are soft, eat right away.

Yul's tip! Add baked beans if you want to taste the original version. And when the noodles are gone, add rice to the leftover broth. Masitge deuseyo!