Guys! This is one of my favorite things ever.
Okay, so I have a long list of “favorite things ever” — mostly involving cheese, chocolate, or not leaving the house — but seriously, this. This is a favorite of favorites.
I first had budae jjigae in a little upstairs joint in K-town, underneath a sea of fairy lights and soju caps dangling from a net-draped ceiling. It was in weather not unlike the kind we’ve been having this week, and the bubbling pot that appeared in front of us was all my winter-comfort dreams come true — spicy, noodly, Spam-y melty-cheese heaven.
Since then, budae jjigae has been a staple of every winter I’ve spent up North, the kind of droolworthy dish that had me waiting for the bus in snowy single-digit Boston weather and struggling through skyscraper wind-tunnels on frigid Manhattan evenings to find. It’s classic comfort food, one that gets its name from harder times, and true to its namesake, it’s loaded up with all things plain but wonderful — instant ramen, salty Spam, chewy rice cakes and silky-soft tofu. The broth is thick and rich, laced with earthy umami tones from kombu and anchovies, dyed fiery-red with kimchi and gochujang, spicy enough to make you sweat even when your fingers are still thawing from the cold outside. It’s a humble, hearty stew, a stew for sharing, and I associate it with the best memories of warm friends on cold winter nights.
It’s hard to beat the idea of sharing budae jjigae and soju in a dive-y kind of place, where you’re back-to-back with the folks at the next table and you risk elbowing your friend in the face when you go to serve up a bowl. Still, for a homebody like me, recreating it in my own kitchen was beyond exciting. Like a lot of kitchen-sink style dishes, the cast of characters it involves is a little extensive, but bringing them all together into a stew is impossibly easy, with the kind of reward that has you (or at least me) running around the kitchen like I made this, I made this! I love the idea that this balanced complexity was once cobbled together from the plain and simple in times of scarcity — it’s a lemons-from-lemonade kind of magic. (Except Spam is so not lemons. It’s pure gold.)
I hope you’re all having a wonderful start to 2015! And thank you so, so much for your super lovely comments on my last post — we read them all with huge smiles and warmed hearts. Happy new year!
Pinch dishes from The Fortynine Studio; plates by Akiko Graham from The-Commons.
Budae jjigae (Korean “army stew”)
If you happen to have a hot pot or fondue pot, this would be amazing right at the table — otherwise, be sure to enjoy immediately, and keep the soup simmering while you eat for refills. You can add more water (or dashi stock, if you have extra on hand) as the broth boils down, and more ramen as you eat it.
- Yield: serves 3-4. 1x
Ingredients
- for the dashi stock:
- 6 cups water
- 1–2 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 6 dried anchovies, head and innards removed (if you can’t find dried anchovies, substitute 3 tbsp fish sauce)
- 1 sheet dried kelp (kombu)
- for sauce:
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp Korean red pepper paste (gochujang)
- 1–2 tbsp Korean red pepper powder (gochugaru) (adjust to taste)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
- generous pinch black pepper (optional)
- for the stew:
- 1 cup cabbage, chopped
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup chopped kimchi, well-fermented
- 2 scallions, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 hot dogs or 2 oz Polish kielbasa, sliced
- 4 oz Spam (1/3 can, or more if you prefer)
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 cup dduk (Korean rice cakes, optional)
- 4–6 oz tofu, sliced (1/2 package, optional)
- 1/4 cup baked beans (optional)
- 1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- 1–2 packets ramen
- slices of white American cheese or mozzarella, for topping
Instructions
- If using dduk, place it in a bowl with plenty of cold water and let soak while you prepare everything else.
- Prepare the stock. Combine 6 cups water, mushrooms, anchovies, and dried kelp in a large 5-6 quart pot, or a hot pot if you have one. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and let simmer for 5 minutes, then remove kelp. If using anchovies, let simmer for another 5 minutes, then remove anchovies.
- Meanwhile, mix together the sauce ingredients (garlic, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, and pepper) in a small bowl.
- Place the cabbage, onion, kimchi, scallions, and sliced meat into the simmering broth, then place the ground beef in the center. If using, also add the dduk, sliced tofu, beans, and mushrooms. Pour the sauce over top. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes, or until ground beef is cooked. Stir the ground beef to break it up into smaller pieces. You can leave the other ingredients in a ring around the beef for presentation, or just mix it all up.
- Add the ramen to the center of the broth and cook for 2-3 minutes more, until noodles are soft. Top with American cheese or mozzarella if desired, and enjoy immediately!
vikalinkafood
Cynthia! You are killing me with this gorgeousness. I want to have the photo of the ingredients blown-up and hung in my kitchen! I love your stories. 🙂 Isn’t it interesting how whenever we need comfort we all turn to food we grew up with! I just published a post loaded with Slavic traditional dishes from various bloggers. All I want to eat right now is creamy, “potatoey” things that remind me of my childhood. Happy New Year!
tworedbowls
Omg Julia you are TOO kind!! Thank you so so much!! And yes, isn’t it amazing how closely tied food is to our emotional comfort and memories? Also, I LOVED your round-up! I want to eat everything on it. Happy new year to you too!!!
stephanie
hello beautiful!! this stew is absolutely gorgeous as are your photos 🙂 wish we could elbow each other in the face, sip on soju and eat budae jjigae together…also, great minds think alike cause i’ve got a kimchi stew coming up this week 😉
tworedbowls
KIMCHI STEW. Steph. You just get me. <3 One day we'll share spicy Korean food together and all my dreams will come true!!
themoonblushbaker
Your finishing touch is a killer! American cheese for me please 🙂 The way you talk about this stew is cross between romantic poetry and new age smut; which is the best kind of food writing. I am drooling along with the rest of the world at this post Cynthia!
tworedbowls
FIST BUMP for American cheese!!!! I knew we were meant to be friends 🙂 Thank you so much for your super kind words, Belinda!
Cheryl
Oh girl, I can’t even handle you right now. Your photography is making me doubt everything I know to be true and good and right! Seriously, though, how do you divine such shadowy, moody depths and rich, deep tones? Do your partners know you’re leaving them to be a full-time food photographer/recipe developer yet? (Just kidding, Partners, if you’re reading.. this is but my weak attempt at a genuine compliment.. she’s not leaving. Please do not fire her.)
What I love about the recipe is its gorgeous combination of authentic Korean ingredients and like.. hot dogs. Reminds me of the goodness Lady & Pups is always whipping up. Nom!
tworedbowls
HAHA I legit lol’ed in my office when I read this. I always love your thoughtful and hilarious comments — thank you so much!!!
Nicole
AH! This looks so good and comforting! This is truly what I’m craving in wintery January, not detox meals 🙂
tworedbowls
YAY! I’m so glad I’m not the only one!! Thanks so much, Nicole 🙂
Erika
Spam-y melty-cheese heaven.. girl.. you are killing it with this.. I want to sit at a table and eat budae jjigae together ok? 🙂
tworedbowls
omg I would love NOTHING more than that, Erika!! <3 One day we'll make it happen. Hope you're well, friend!
molly yeh
WHAT. this looks amazing and comforting and everything i want while sitting under a blanket and watching the snow. i’ve never understood how people diet in january when it is THIS WEATHER. this stew is for this weather!!!!!!!
mandylee@ladyandpups
You don’t know how many times I wanted to order this from a Korean bow restaurant, then got pulled over by sanity, and ordered Kalbi/pork belly/beef intestine combo instead…. Should have listened to my instinct….
Michelle @ Hummingbird High
Cynthia, you’re killing me. This looks like the perfect, most amazing umami BOMB. Come make it for me, please? I’ll trade you some dessert 😉
April
WOW! louve this! You make everything look amazing. Thanks for sharing. Great photos too!
Maryna
It looks absolutely awesome!! I really can feel the smell))
ellie | fit for the soul
GULP…….I reallllllly need this right now even though my sodium levels are off the charts thanks to last night’s PHO, yikes. 😛 Seriously though, budaejjigae is pretty bomb and I have such a cool memory to go along with it. My friends and I went to the cold cold (read: LA standards of cold) mountains to pray, hang out, and fool around a few years ago. We brought all the essentials and in the little run down bungalow and a portable stove top burner, we created this impressive (but ugly) pot of budaejjigae. Thanks for reminding me of that through this beautiful post, hehe! I hope I get to meet you someday so we can eat all the Korean food we want together ^_^
erika
Holy moly I want to eat the face off of this!!!! How do you make stew look so photogenic?! Totally amazing, as always, lady! <3
Meg | bread + barrow
Oh my gosh I love this recipe! It made me smile reading all of the amazing ingredients and then the hot dog and Spam. Perfection. Where did you used to get this in Boston!? I can’t wait to try it! Being huddled together eating in this frigid weather makes everything more bearable doesn’t it? But making it at home sounds even better, ha!
Lindsey
first, these shots are so beautiful, cynthia! and second, the history behind this dish is super interesting! how ingredients put together in a pot in one point of time, then becomes a tradition in homes and restaurants later on is such a lovely sentiment. and i’m sure you will carry this dish on for many years in the beautiful way that you do! xo
Pang @ circahappy
I suspect that I will love it as much as you do because the recipe is right up my alley. I love ramen and everything you put in it to begin with, but this recipe looks like THE ramen for royalty.
You are killing me with recipe and those photos, Girl!!!
xoxo
Millie | Add A Little
Oh my god how could you not adore this!!! Yes please!
Beer Bitty
Omigosh, this sounds amazing. There’s a place near my apartment that serves spam fried rice, as well as french fries topped with mapo tofu and melted american cheese slices. They’re to die for (and are the perfect hangover cure). Saving this recipe to make soon as it sounds divine (albeit gluttonous, but that should never keeping you from eating something delicious!)
but i'm hungry
My word, this looks like a wonderland in a pot. It’s making me hungry! … and I just ate lunch. 😉
Lan | morestomach
everything in that pot. except the cheese. not only cannot i not physically do it, i don’t think i could do it emotionally/psychologically/whatever-ologies. but everything else, yes. especially with this frigid january.
Joanna
I cannot decide looksmore delicious, the photographs, the stew…I guess everything togethe ris just perfect!
Ana Kamin (@FluxiOnTour)
This looks so good for chilly winter evenings.
egeedee
Just texted THIS face melting awesomeness to my chef friend and asked her if we could make this. She notified me that a ramen party was in the works and that her friend (who has a street food cart called “Bing of Fire” in Seattle) knows how to make this. If somebody said those words to me, I’d marry them. This is the way to my heart – I am convinced. Also, “ramen party”. You take beautiful photos and once I set my kitchen up, I’m going to contact you about getting a Two Red Bowls original for my wall. Yay.
alanafixfeastflair
Ok, how have I never ordered this. It’s always edged out by something super meaty. And I am blown away by how beautiful you’ve made it look. Happiest of new years, Cynthia!! P.s. I’m totally with you with the ever many “my favorite thing ever”s.
Willow @ Will Cook For Friends
Where has this dish been all my life… this sounds like it goes beyond just comfort food, and enters some other realm of wonderful. I feel like making a bowl of this might just counteract all the bah-humbuggery I’ve been feeling with the cold weather. I mean, the photos alone… have I ever told you how much I adore your photos? Yes? Well let me tell you again, because these are just blowing my mind! I never thought I’d say it, but you make spam look GOOD. (Let’s face it, it ain’t the prettiest thing on the planet.) But in that bowl? It looks like straight-up heaven.
Tieghan
Oh my gosh, this is so amazing and completely gorgeous and delicious!! Have I have told you that you kind of amaze me daily? Cause you do and I LOVE that skillet you are using, it’s equally awesome! 🙂
No but really, this dish is all of my favorite things I honestly am so excited to make it. Maybe this weekend when I get all these workers out of my house and I can enjoy cooking again. ha!
Also, your photos? Top notch as always. Double also, happy new year!
Bec
Oh my… your styling AND the recipe and both incredible. Stunned. Love it.
Sini | My Blue&White Kitchen
I’ve never heard of Budae Jjigae before but man, does it look good! I would definitely welcome a big serving of this as the weather outside is playing crazy (it’s either rainy or super cold, changing every few days). Oh and these pics are STUNNERS! I want to live in them. May I rent a corner? Errr, or maybe a spot right on top of those noodles?
emily
Ddude, I’ve had a package of dduk sitting in my fridge for, no joke, maybe a year. Does that stuff go bad? I need something to do with it, and this might just be the ticket. Except I’m on a strictly SPAMless diet until the little miss is born, which has me practically sobbing with sorrow. (Also off the table: canned corned beef hash, which is perhaps my favorite brunch staple ever.) So maybe it’s budae jiggae with nitrate-free hotdogs for me!!! I feel like the old timers would approve. 🙂 xo! <3
Jeanne
That looks fantastic!! Your photos are amazing, and the budae jjigae looks absolutely scrumptious. I’m salivating as I write this. 😀 I have always loved budae jjigae but haven’t had the chance to make it. I may just have to do it. 😀
caitlin | back2spain
Wow, many characters…. But SPAM!!!
Renee Kemps
AHMAZING! This looks so comfy and it’s perfect for that coldness outside. You’ve put so many delicious things in there and it looks gorgeous too! And pretty photos, love the ambiance!
Chelsea (@TheWholeBite)
Oh does this ever look good! My fingers are freezing as I’m typing this and what I would give for a giant bowl of this goodness right now 🙂 Your photos, as always, are absolutely stunning. Stay warm 🙂
Kathryn
Based on how much my team in NY are complaining about being cold at the moment, I think I should send them a vat of this
Betty | le Jus d'Orange
I’ve said OMG probably on all your instagram posts on this already, so I’ll refrain. I’ll just say, gorgeous as usual, and with it being below freezing, all day, I can think of nothing better than to huddle in and eat a spicy dish. Like this budae-jjigae. It’s kind of the comfort of a blazing fire, except you can chow it down!!
aysha
these photographs are like paintings! I’ve been coming back to look at them pretty much everyday, so I figured I should leave a comment and say hi. hi!
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T
I made this! It was absolutely magical comfort food, the kind of dish where the ingredients came together in fully unexpected ways. I didn’t have gochugaru so I used about a tsp of red pepper flakes and a tsp of cayenne instead, used fish sauce instead of the dried anchovies and omitted the dduk. Would not skip the baked beans, though: they added a critical kind of savory-sweetness. I used Indomie noodles and ended up just adding the flavor packs to the soup, which I don’t regret.
★★★★★
tworedbowls
Thank you so much for such kind words!