Budae jjigae (army stew)
Korea’s post-war mash-up stew: Spam, hot dogs, kimchi, baked beans and ramen noodles in a spicy broth, with melting cheese on top.
- 30 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $3.52 a serving
- 740 calories
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can spam, 12 oz
- 4 hot dogs
- ½ yellow onion
- 4 oz white mushrooms
- 4 stalks green onions
- 1 cup kimchi, chopped
- ½ cup baked beans
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 packages ramen noodles, seasoning packets saved for another day
- 2 slices American cheese slices
From your pantry
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
Each serving has about 740 calories, 28 g protein, 50 g carbs and 47 g fat, and costs about $3.52 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the gochujang, pepper flakes, soy sauce, garlic and sugar into a thick paste.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
the Spam into ¼-inch pieces, the hot dogs on a slant, the onion and mushrooms thin, and the green onions into 2-inch lengths.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Spread the onion in the bottom of a wide pot, then arrange the Spam, hot dogs, kimchi, mushrooms and beans in little piles around it. Spoon the paste into the middle.
Dolly’s tip: The piles are just for looks at the table. It all gets mixed in the bowl anyway.Pour in the broth and over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Turn to medium and 8 minutes, stirring gently to melt the paste into the broth.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 8 min
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
Add the noodle blocks and the green onions and cook 3 minutes, pushing the noodles under the broth, until soft.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min
Lay the cheese slices on top, turn off the heat, and cover for 1 minute, until the cheese .
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 1 min
Set the pot in the middle of the table and ladle it into bowls right away, before the noodles soak up all the broth.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
