A family favorite that deliciously combines American ingredients and Korean cuisine.

My mom would often serve this when she had her sisters and their husbands over.

This is my homage to that memory and its a spicy pot of perfection.

Budae Jjigae (Army Base Stew) in a large pot boiling on a portable induction stove

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

What is Budae Jjigae?

In Korean, budae means army base and jjigae means stew or soup.

This dish came about after the end of the Korean War.

Close-up: budae jjigae (army base stew) topped with a piece of melted cheese in a large pot

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Budae jjigae is normally a fall or winter dish because the spicy broth warms you from the inside out.

), along with some kimchi and other vegetables to the edges of a large shallow pot.

The spicy sauce goes in the center.

Chopsticks lifting some ramen from the pot of budae jjigae (army base stew)

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Garnish with sliced green onions and serve with a hot bowl of steamed rice.

All there is to do now is to pick out your favorite ingredients and add them to your bowl.

Ingredients and Substitutions

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to building budae jjigae.

Budae jjigae sauce whisked together in a bowl using a pair of chop sticks

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Mine is based on my moms version and hers was probably different from anyone elses mom.

Below is a list of some of the ingredients in this recipe and options for substitutes.

Prepare the green onions by removing the root end and slicing on an angle into about 1/8-inch slices.

Budae jjigae sauce in a bowl with a pair of chopsticks for Korean army base stew recipe

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Set aside for garnishing the budae jjigae at the end.

Chop the kimchi into bite-size pieces.

Slice the napa cabbage into bite-size pieces.

Disk rice cakes soaking in a bowl of water for budae jjigae (army base stew) recipe

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Slice the Vienna sausages into 1/4-inch diagonal slices.

Cut the Spam and tofu blocks in half and slice into 1/4-inch slices.

Drain the rice cakes.

Napa cabbage cut into bite size pieces for budae jjigae (army base stew) recipe

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Spoon your sauce into the middle.

Pour the chicken broth in around the edges and bring to a boil over high heat.

Add cheese slices on top of the ramen and cover until the cheese is melted, about 30 seconds.

Enoki mushrooms (with roots removed) separated into individual pieces for budae jjigae (army base soup) recipe

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Remove the lid and garnish your budae jjigae with sliced green onion.

Use a ladle and tongs to serve everyone their favorite parts.

Serve over hot rice, if desired.

Vienna sausage cut into slices on a cutting board next to some whole pieces of sausage for homemade budae jjigae (army base soup) recipe

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

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Tofu sliced into 1/4 inch thick planks for homemade budae jjigae (army base stew) recipe

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Canned baked beans added to pot of nicely organized budae jjigae ingredients

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Budae jjigae (army base stew) ingredients beautifly organized around the perimeter of the pot and in the middle is the budae jjigae sauce

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Chicken broth poured around the edges of the pot, over the solid ingredients for Korean army base stew

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Chopstick stirring the sauce (in the middle of the pot) with the chicken broth. . The other ingredients are not mixed in.

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Ramen noodles added to the center of the pot as the budae jjigae ingredients boil

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

Pot of budae jjigae (army based stew) cooking in a pot over a portable induction stove

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen