Budae-jjigae (Army Base Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide shallow jeongol pot, about 12 inches or 30 cm, or a 4-quart shallow Dutch oven
• •Portable tabletop burner, optional but best for serving
• •Small bowl for seasoning paste
• •Fine strainer or slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the broth

   Put the water, kelp, and anchovies in a pot over medium heat. When the first steady bubbles appear, lift out the kelp so it does not turn the broth slick or bitter. Simmer the anchovies 8 minutes more, then strain. Measure 5 1/2 cups broth; if you are short, add water. This stew already carries salt from kimchi and processed meat, so the broth must start clean.

   For a game night shortcut, use 5 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock and simmer it with the kelp for 5 minutes. That is a safe corner to cut. Salted stock is not.
2. 2

   Mix the paste

   In a small bowl, stir together the gochugaru, gochujang, garlic, soy sauce, doenjang, sugar, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the broth until loose. This is a measured paste, not a red handful. Gochugaru gives clean heat, gochujang gives body and sweetness, and too much gochujang makes the whole pot taste the same.

3. 3

   Arrange the pot

   Set the chopped kimchi and onion in the bottom of a wide shallow pot. Arrange the Spam, sausage, tofu, mushrooms, rice cakes if using, and baked beans in separate sections around the pot, with the seasoning paste in the center. Keep the ramen, cheese, and scallions aside for now. Arrangement is not decoration here; it lets every ingredient cook at its own pace and makes the table easy to serve from.

4. 4

   Simmer the base

   Pour in the 5 1/2 cups broth and the kimchi brine. Bring to a lively simmer over medium-high heat, then stir the paste gently into the broth without breaking up the tofu. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until the kimchi softens and the sausage seasons the broth. Taste before the ramen goes in. It should be savory, sour, and lightly hot. If it tastes flat, add 1 tablespoon more kimchi brine. If it lacks salt, add 1/2 teaspoon soup soy sauce. If it is already too salty, add 1/2 cup water now, before the noodles drink the pot dry.

   Write down the adjustment your kimchi needed. A young kimchi and a sour winter kimchi are not the same ingredient, even if the jar has the same label.
5. 5

   Cook the ramen

   Set the ramen noodles in the center and press them halfway under the broth. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until the noodles loosen but still spring under the chopsticks. Add the cheese slice for the last 30 seconds if you are using it. Do not add the ramen seasoning packet. The pot has its own broth already.

6. 6

   Serve at the table

   Scatter the scallions over the top and lower the heat to a gentle simmer if the pot is on a tabletop burner. Eat from the pot with rice beside it. When the broth thickens, add hot water or unsalted broth 1/2 cup at a time. Budae-jjigae is meant to be crowded and shared; 음식을 나누면서 정도 나눕니다, when we share food, we share affection.

Chef Tips

• •Use kimchi that has gone properly sour, at least two weeks past fresh if it was store-bought. If your kimchi is young and sweet, add 1 tablespoon rice vinegar with the brine and do not add extra sugar.
• •Choose one luncheon meat and one smoked sausage. More kinds of meat do not make the stew better; they make the broth muddled and too salty.
• •Baked beans and American cheese belong to the modern language of this dish. Use them if that is the pot you remember. Skip the cheese if you want a sharper, cleaner kimchi broth.
• •The ramen seasoning packet stays out. Keep it for another emergency broth if you must, but here it flattens the kimchi and makes every spoon taste powdered.
• •For potluck, assemble the sliced meats, kimchi, tofu, mushrooms, beans, and paste in the pot, then keep it chilled. Add broth, ramen, cheese, and scallions only when you are ready to cook.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for 2 months. Chill it quickly and keep it covered.
• •The seasoning paste can be mixed up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated. Let it loosen with a spoonful of broth before adding it to the pot.
• •Meats, onion, mushrooms, and scallions can be sliced 1 day ahead. Cut tofu the day of cooking, or keep it covered with clean water in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
• •Leftovers should be refrigerated within 2 hours and eaten within 2 days. The ramen will swell, so add fresh noodles when reheating if you want the pot to taste lively again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 640g)