Budae-Jjigae is a spicy kimchi based stew created shortly after the end of the Korean war, giving it its nick name ARMY STEW. It is often served with some instant noodles, spam, sausages, processed ham, kimchi, mushrooms, tofu, some good old CHEESE and everything inbetween. Even though it is called ARMY STEW it is probably not the best meal for any soldier, being filled with process meats and instant noodles it is probably if not THE BEST DISH for any college or university student. Espaically after a LONGGGG night of studying or other activities you just want something quick and comforting, this is exactly what you are looking for. Not to mention it is super easy to make and feeds from 4-8 people and being very cheap it is the ideal late night dinner for any student.
Ingredients
Dry Egg Noodles/Instant Noodles
4 Cloves of Garlic
1 Tin of Spam/Processed Ham
100g Closed Cup Mushrooms
1 Cup Kimchi
2tb Gochujang
2tb Light Soy Sauce
1tb Sugar
300g of Firm Tofu
American Cheese/Cheese Slices
STEPS
Begin by peeling and slicing 4 cloves of garlic.
Wash and thinly slice your closed cup mushrooms.
Drain and slice your tofu into about 1cm thick slices.
Open your can of SPAM or processed ham and slice into thick or thin slices all up to you. Thin=EXTRA CRISPY.
Lastly finely mince up 1 cup of kimchi anddd that's all the chopping done.
In a bowl combine 2tb of gochujang, 2tb of light soy sauce, 1tb of sugar and your slices garlic and minced kimchi and give it a good mix till well combined.
In a large pan/dutch oven/pot add in a little bit of oil and heat it up to high heat. Once hot fry your pieces of spam/processed ham till golden and crispy and set aside.
In the same pan add in your mushrooms and fry till almost cooked, then add in your FIRERY RED sauce and give it a good mix.
Once fragrant add in 3-4 cups of water and bring it to a boil.
Once boiling season to taste with salt and add in 2-3 pucks of instant noodles/dried egg noodles and cover with a lid and let it simmer for 3 minutes.
Gently break apart your noodles and layer your cut tofu along the side of your pan and cover with a lid and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes till the noodles are fully cooked.
Lastly layer in your cooked crispy ham along the side and your slices of cheese right in the center.
Serve up with a side of extra kimchi and enjoyed on a cold cold day.
Feel free to customise this, add in sausages, shiitake mushooms, enoki mushrooms, bok choy, whatever you wish. It is yours to customise and make it your own.
Happy Cooking
