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    Home > Blog > Dinner > Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)

    Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)

    by Jenny Park · Published: Feb 23, 2023

    Jump to Recipe
    A delicious Korean stew originally created post Korean war due to necessity and limited resources, Budae Jjigae is enjoyed today by many as an inexpensive kitchen sink type Korean stew with deep, rich flavors.
    Korean Army Stew or Budae Jjigae in a pot ready to be served.
    Budae Jjigae in two bowls.
    Korean army stew or Budae Jjigae being ladled into a bowl.
    Budae Jjigae being served with chopsticks.
    Korean Army Stew or Budae Jjigae in a pot ready to be served.
    Budae Jjigae being served into bowls.
    Budae Jjigae in two bowls.
    Korean Army Stew or Budae Jjigae in a pot ready to be served.

    Budae Jjigae or Korean Army Stew is a delicious stew originally developed out of necessity after the Korean war. It’s a spicy kitchen sink type stew filled with processed meats, noodles, and a variety of other cheap ingredients, resulting in an incredibly flavorful family-style stew.

    Budae jjigae is a bittersweet dish for many Koreans (including my relatives), but it also shows the resourcefulness of the people during a time of desperation and famine.

    History of Budae Jjigae

    Budae Jjigae also known as Korean army stew is a dish that was developed after the Korean war. It was during a time when food was scarce in Korea and people were dealing with famine.

    It’s an inexpensive stew made up of American processed meats such as Spam and hot dogs left behind from American solider rations. Since resources were scarce during the time, any cheap ingredient was added into the stew to ultimately create a delicious, rich, flavorful stew that could feed an entire family.

    Today you can find this stew served at many Korean restaurants that serve bar type foods like Korean Fried Chicken. It’s also incredibly easy to make at home with hundreds of variations based on personal preferences.

    Budae Jjigae being served with chopsticks.

    How to Make Budae Jjigae

    Ingredients

    Process

    1. Place all paste ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk together. Set aside. 
    Korean army stew sauce mixed together in a bowl.
    1. In a large, shallow pot arrange sausages, spam, tofu, cabbage, rice cakes, and mushrooms.
    2. Top with paste mixture.
    Korean army stew with ingredients in a skillet.
    Korean army stew in a skillet with paste over it.
    1. Pour water in pot and bring to a boil. Gently stir to evenly distribute the paste.
    2. Once mixture is brought to a boil, add noodles, and continue to cook until everything has cooked through, and noodles are soft.
    Korean Army Stew simmering in a skillet.
    Budae Jjigae with noodles cooking in a skillet.
    1. Top stew with American cheese and green onions and boil for another minute. Remove from heat and serve.
    Budae Jjigae finished in a skillet ready to be served.

    Tips and Tricks for Making the BEST Budae Jjigae

    • The spicy paste sets the foundation for the overall stew, so you don’t want to skimp on the ingredients. It’s especially important to use gochujang for the authentic (slightly) sweet and spicy umami flavor it provides. (If you’re interested to learn more about gochujang and my preferred brands you can find more information in our Gochujang Noodles recipe post.)
    • Keep things cheap and simple, like the dish was originally intended to be. It will truly give you the best flavor and experience!
    • Eat it immediately after making it to ensure the noodles and rice cakes don’t bloat and become soggy.
    Budae Jjigae being mixed together with chopsticks.
    Budae Jjigae being served into bowls.

    Variations for Korean Army Stew

    There are so many versions of Budae Jjigae out there and if you want to mix things up you can add:

    • kimchi – which will add an additional spicy, fermented kick to the dish. If I add kimchi, I usually omit the green cabbage.
    • Korean dumplings (mandu) – on occasion, when I want to ‘beef’ the dish up even more I add a few frozen mandu to the stew and it really makes a fantastic addition.
    • canned baked beans – I’ve never added this into my Korean army stew, but know that it was one of the ingredients added back in the day and could see how the sweet, tangy and creamy flavors and textures would be a good fit!
    • (cut up) hot dogs – which are more commonly used than the lil smokies we use in our recipe. Whichever you use, you won’t be disappointed.
    • other quick cooking vegetables – I love bulking this stew up even more with simple vegetables – my favorites being julienne carrots and thinly sliced zucchini.
    Korean army stew or Budae Jjigae being ladled into a bowl.
    Budae Jjigae in two bowls.

    More Delicious Korean Recipes You Will Love

    • Pork and shrimp dumplings with chopsticks.
      Pork and Shrimp Dumplings
    • Beef bulgogi recipe on a plate with rice.
      Korean Beef Bulgogi
    • Kimchi fried rice in a bowl with a fried egg on top.
      Kimchi Fried Rice
    • Jajangmyeon recipe in a bowl with chopsticks.
      Jajangmyeon (Noodles with Black Bean Sauce)

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    Korean Army Stew or Budae Jjigae in a pot ready to be served.

    Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)

    5 from 4 votes
    PRINT RECIPE Pin Recipe
    A delicious Korean stew originally created post Korean war due to necessity and limited resources, Budae Jjigae is enjoyed today by many as an inexpensive kitchen sink type Korean stew with deep, rich flavors.
    RECIPE BY Teri & Jenny
    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 15 mins
    Total Time: 30 mins
    Servings: 6

      INGREDIENTS  

    sauce paste

    • 2 1/2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste )
    • 2 tablespoons water
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean hot pepper flakes)
    • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

    stew

    • 7 ounces drained firm tofu cut into thin squares
    • 6 ounces (1/2 can) Spam cut into thin squares
    • 6 mini sausages such as lil smokies
    • 1 cup chopped green cabbage
    • 1/2 pound tteok (oval shaped rice cakes)
    • 5 ounces enoki or snow white mushrooms, trimmed
    • 5 cups water
    • 1 pack instant ramen noodles (without flavor packet)
    • 2 slices American cheese
    • 2 green onions thinly sliced on a bias

      INSTRUCTIONS  

    • Place all paste ingredients into a small bowl.
    • Whisk together. Set aside. 
    • In a large, shallow pot arrange sausages, spam, tofu, cabbage, rice cakes, and mushrooms.
    • Top with paste mixture.
    • Pour water in pot and bring to a boil. Gently stir to evenly distribute the paste.
    • Once mixture is brought to a boil, add noodles, and continue to cook until everything has cooked through, and noodles are soft.
    • Top stew with American cheese and green onions and boil for another minute. Remove from heat and serve.

      NOTES  

    Tips and Tricks for Success
    • The spicy paste sets the foundation for the overall stew, so you don’t want to skimp on the ingredients. It’s especially important to use gochujang for the authentic (slightly) sweet and spicy umami flavor it provides. (If you’re interested to learn more about gochujang and my preferred brands you can find more information in our Gochujang Noodles recipe post.)
    • Keep things cheap and simple, like the dish was originally intended to be. It will truly give you the best flavor and experience!
    • Eat it immediately after making it to ensure the noodles and rice cakes don’t bloat and become soggy.
    Calories: 267kcal Carbohydrates: 39g Protein: 14g Fat: 16g Saturated Fat: 6g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0.1g Cholesterol: 33mg Sodium: 1159mg Potassium: 363mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 3g Vitamin A: 726IU Vitamin C: 7mg Calcium: 147mg Iron: 2mg
    CUISINE: korean, Korean-American
    KEYWORD: korean army stew
    COURSE: Breakfast, dinner, lunch

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    February 23, 2023 / 2 Comments

    About Jenny Park

    Jenny Park is half of Spoon Fork Bacon. She is also a food stylist and recipe developer. One of her favorite foods is donuts. #sfbJENNY

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    February 23, 2023 / 2 Comments

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    1. Connie

      February 28, 2023 at 2:55 pm

      5 stars
      I can’t believe this was so easy to make at home! I love getting this at Korean restos, but now I can make it at home all the time! Thank you for the delicious recipe!

      Reply
    2. Laura

      February 27, 2023 at 3:57 pm

      5 stars
      I first tried Budae Jjigae at a Korean restaurant near me. I had to be talked into it by my husband but of course I loved it (I mean — how could you not?!). I was so excited to see you guys post this recipe and I immediately ran out to get all the ingredients so I could make it for dinner. Turned out amazing — thank you!!

      Reply

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