Korean Army Base Stew - Budae Jjigae Ramen and Spam Recipe

Today we’re making Budae Jjigae, also known as Korean Army Base Stew, a bubbling Korean comfort food made with Spam, smoked sausage, tofu, kimchi, ramen, rice cakes, gochujang, gochugaru, mushrooms, seaweed, and American cheese. Budae jjigae has one of the most fascinating food histories we’ve cooked so far. The name comes from budae, meaning military base, and jjigae, meaning stew. After the Korean War ended in 1953, food was extremely scarce in South Korea, especially meat. Around U.S. military bases, surplus foods like Spam, sausage, ham, baked beans, and processed cheese became valuable ingredients, often obtained through informal or black market channels and combined with Korean staples like kimchi, gochujang, chili flakes, tofu, rice cakes, and noodles. The city of Uijeongbu, north of Seoul and near U.S. Army bases, became especially famous for this dish. What began as a dish of postwar necessity became a beloved Korean hot pot, spicy, salty, rich, filling, and perfect for sharing. Today, budae jjigae is still popular in Korea and around the world, with many versions including instant ramen, Spam, hot dogs or sausage, tofu, rice cakes, kimchi, mushrooms, green onion, and sliced American cheese melting into the broth. This is our version of Korean Army Stew, cooked as a hearty one-pot meal with a deep mushroom-seaweed broth and plenty of spicy, savory comfort food flavor. Budae Jjigae Recipe / Korean Army Base Stew Broth: 8 cups chicken stock 4 cups water 1 package dried shiitake mushrooms, or any mushrooms you like 1/4 cup dried wakame seaweed or kelp 25 ml anchovy juice 4 Tbsp mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp gochujang 1–2 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp minced garlic 4 Tbsp gochugaru Korean chili flakes Bring the broth to a boil. Add: 1 can Spam, thinly sliced 1 smoked sausage, thinly sliced 1 package tofu, thinly sliced Sliced mushrooms from the broth, added back in 7 oz Korean rice cakes 2 packages of instant ramen 1 1/2 cups kimchi 3–4 sliced green onions or leek equivalent 3 slices of American cheese Simmer for about 10 minutes, serve hot, and enjoy. This Korean army base stew is a powerful example of how people turn scarcity into something lasting, meaningful, and delicious, a postwar survival meal transformed into one of Korea’s most iconic comfort foods. #BudaeJjigae #KoreanArmyStew #ArmyBaseStew #KoreanFood #SpamRecipes #RamenRecipe #KoreanHotPot #ComfortFood "River of Io" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Shenyang" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Ripples" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... In The Temple Garden by Aaron Kenny "Canon in D for Autoharp" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...