Budae-jjigae
Korea's 'army base stew,' born in the food-scarce years after the 1950-53 Korean War near a U.S. Army base in Uijeongbu, where cook Heo Gi-suk is widely credited as an early popularizer. Surplus and black-market American base food — Spam, hot dogs, canned baked beans, processed cheese, none of it commercially sold in Korea at the time — was stretched into a shared stew with kimchi, gochujang, and garlic. Unlike most fusion dishes, the American ingredients here aren't a modern corruption of the original — they're the entire historical point of the dish. Instant ramen noodles are a later, still-optional addition, since they only became widely available in Korea from the 1960s-70s onward.
⚠ Contains: Dairy, Gluten, Soy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 200g Spam or other canned luncheon meat, sliced
- 2 hot dogs, sliced
- 1 cup kimchi, chopped
- 1/2 cup canned baked beans
- 200g tofu, sliced
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp gochugaru
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 block instant ramen noodles
- 2 slices American cheese
- 500ml broth (anchovy or water)
Steps
- Arrange the Spam, hot dogs, kimchi, baked beans, tofu, and onion in a wide shallow pot.
- Mix the gochujang, gochugaru, and garlic into a sauce and add it to the center of the pot.
- Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.
- Add the ramen noodles near the end and cook until just tender.
- Top with the American cheese and let it melt in before serving.