Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew)

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

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 697 Calories

Ingredients

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

Recipe Instructions

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.