Today let’s learn about cooking budae jjigae (부대찌개) at home! Budae jjigae, or army base stew, is delicious meat stew in Korea. Since this dish is one of Korea’s most popular hot pots, you can find many places to try this spicy goodness, but it is even better at home!
About the South of Seoul “A Year to Learn Korean Cooking’ Series
Many of us live in South Korea for only a year. However, time flies past faster than we can imagine. At South of Seoul, we decided to create a simple series that will offer 2-4 dishes to learn each month so that when you leave South Korea you have a slew of new dishes you feel comfortable making anywhere.
This series is a collaboration with Kimchi Rednecks. In 2020 they created the first blog in this series Online Resources for Learning to Cook Korean Food. These two love to have adventures in the kitchen and share the results with their community. Be sure to follow Kimchi Rednecks on YouTube for other great videos about living life in South Korea.
About Budae Jjigae 부대찌개
The name of this stew comes from the two Korean words: budae (부대), a term meaning base or army, and jjigae (찌개), a term meaning soup or stew. Therefore it is no surprise, that budae jjigae is often referred to as army base stew, soldier stew or army stew.
Simply put, budae jjigae is a Korean fusion stew that uses many American processed products, like Spam, hot dogs, sliced American cheese, and canned pork and beans. After the Korean war (1950 to 1953), food was in short supply in Korea. The processed foods that were around were imported by the military.
Since the Koreans had access to these foods, they used them to create this delicious stew. We believe two versions came about around the same time, Songtan style and Uijeongbu style. Uijeonbu is most famous for this stew and even has a street dedicated to this goodness!
Even though there are two versions, they are unique dishes themselves. The Songtan version includes fewer ingredients and requires less time to put together and cook. The Uijeongbu version has a little more work involved. However, the flavor that develops is fabulous.
Traditionally, this dish is cooked on the table at the restaurants on a gas stove. This enables you to be able to enjoy the dish family style. Also, you can choose to add ramen or cook stir-fried rice at the end.
Biggest Hurdle in Cooking Budae Jjigae
When trying to decide what the biggest hurdle for cooking this dish was, we decided that it was determining:
- Do you want to eat it at a restaurant?
- Do you want to purchase the meal kit at the grocery market?
- Do you want to source your own ingredients and make it at home?
- Which version do you want to make?
Once you make your decision, the dish is relatively easy to put together and then enjoy!
Four Recommended Cooking Budae Jjigae Videos to Watch
We were so excited to make this dish at home. Even though there are a great deal of processed ingredients, we love this dish and really wanted to be able to make it at home. After we cooked the Songtan version of budae jjigae, we knew that we had to try the Uijeongbu version since neither of us had had it before.
The Uijeongbu version includes more vegetables, rice cakes, tofu and pork and beans. Honestly, it is a flavor onto its own when it cooks. Also, you add the ramen noodles in earlier in this dish.
However, the Songtan version adds the ramen noodles once you have mostly broth left in the pot. Adding an additional slice of cheese in when you cook the ramen gives that broth an amazing flavor and it coats the noodles perfectly.
Korean American Cooking Budae Jjigae
Korean Cooking Budae Jjigae
American in Korea Cooking Budae Jjigae
Uijeongbu Budae Jjigae
Songtan Budae Jjigae
Let Us Know How It Turns Out
When you make budae jjigae for the first time at home, be sure to leave a comment and let us know how it turned out! Also, if you live in Pyeongtaek, you can even share your success (or failure) with us in the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook group.
If you are looking for other dishes (Korean or otherwise) or reviews of restaurants, be sure to check out the KimchiRednecks channel or check out our social media accounts on Facebook or Instagram, where we often share what we are cooking or eating.
Read more in our Year to Learn Korean Cooking Series
The KimchiRednecks channel was created in September 2018 by Chuck Whittington and Melissa Edwards-Whittington. They moved to Korea in July 2017 with their three Shih Tzu daughters, Sookie, Minion, and Mayhem.
The YouTube channel started as a way to share their lives here with their friends and families back in the states. They both have a deep love for Korean culture, people, and food and love being able to share that with others.
Chuck Whittington graduated from Francis Marion University with a Bachelors in Information Systems Management. He has worked in Information Technology roles for over 20 years. Chuck has always had an interest in Korea and has traveled here many times in the past.
Melissa Edwards-Whittington graduated from Mid-Atlantic Christian University with a Bachelors in Bible and a Minor in Elementary Education. She has worked in various roles in customer service and marketing over the years.
The YouTube channel has many interests just like they do because it is an extension of their lives here in Korea. You will often find videos on their channel about daily life in Korea, cooking, foodie adventures, traveling and exploring, computer and tech pursuits, gaming, and working on the Subaru BRZ.
Over the years, many of their friends have joined them for their videos and adventures because they enjoy sharing their lives with those around them. In addition, they add new interests from time to time, like making moonshine in Korea.
Life is about growing and changing, and the longer the KimchiRednecks live in Korea, the more they learn to love this country and culture and all it has to offer.
