Camping Style Budae Jjigae Recipes

BUDAE JJIGAE (KOREAN ARMY BASE STEW)

Steps:

• Divide luncheon meat into 2 piles on either side of a stock pot. Layer sausage, onion, and kimchi on top, leaving an empty space in the center of the pot.
• Mix red pepper powder, soy sauce, gochujang, garlic, and black pepper together in a small bowl; pour into the center of the pot. Sprinkle in green onion. Pour in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer stew, stirring occasionally, until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil; add ramen noodles. Cook and stir until partially cooked and softened, about 2 minutes. Drain; stir into stew. Cook and stir until ramen noodles are tender but firm to the bite, about 5 minutes. Top stew with American cheese.

BUDAE JJIGAE (KOREAN ARMY STEW)

Steps:

• For the sauce: Put the gochugaru, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, mirin, sesame oil, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• For the broth: Put the dried anchovies, garlic, daikon, kombu, onion and 2 quarts water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Strain into a bowl or saucepan and discard the solids.
• For the toppings: Arrange the Spam, cocktail sausages, bacon, tofu, tteok, pork and beans, kimchi and sliced onion in a large, low-sided skillet. Add the sauce to the middle of the pot; don't stir. Heat on high heat for 5 minutes. Add enough broth to cover all the ingredients (you may not use all the broth), bring to a boil and boil on high heat for 5 minutes. Mix the sauce gently into the broth so it is well incorporated. Lower to medium heat and add the remaining broth. Simmer for 10 more minutes, then add the ramen and cook until the noodles are just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and top with mozzarella, scallions and watercress. Serve with steamed rice.

CAMPING-STYLE BUDAE JJIGAE

Steps:

• For the budae jjigae sauce: Combine the gochujang, kimchi brine, doenjang, gochugaru, garlic powder, onion powder, mirin, fish sauce, guk-ganjang, white pepper and garlic in a medium bowl and mix with a spoon until combined. Set aside. (If making a day ahead, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until using.)
• For the toppings: Prepare a campfire and let it burn so there are plenty of hot coals to cook over.
• To assemble, arrange the kimchi, bacon, onion, leek and budae jjigae sauce in separate sections over the bottom of a 6-quart cast-iron camp Dutch oven. Shingle the tofu, Spam and hot dog slices in sections over the first layer. Carefully pour in 7 cups of water. Cover the pot and place in the coals.
• Bring to a boil and cook, skimming off any foam and fat with a spoon, if needed, until the broth turns vibrant and thick from the sauce, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add 1/2 cup more water at a time, if needed. (It should be fairly salty since the starches added next might dilute the flavor.)
• Add the ramen and tteok, cover and cook until the ramen is tender and the tteok are soft and chewy in the center, 4 to 5 minutes, laying the mozzarella slices over the ramen during the last minute of cooking. Remove from the heat. Top with the scallions or chiles, if using, and serve with steamed rice.

BUDAE JJIGAE

Steps:

• In a large, wide pot or Dutch oven, arrange the onion, radish, Spam, sausages and kimchi in 5 individual piles. Over these piles, add the gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic and 6 cups cold tap water. (Don't worry about stirring at this stage.)
• Cover and bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle boil. Partly cover the pot and stir the liquid gently and occasionally while leaving the piles intact, until the sausage is warmed through and the broth is deeply seasoned with meaty flavor, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed; this stew has many salty ingredients, but a little salt brings out the nuances of each component, resulting in a wonderful broth.
• Nestle in the noodles and cook according to package instructions, without stirring, until loose and chewy but not soggy and distended. Remove the pot from the heat. Top the noodles with the American cheese and cover until melted, just a few seconds. Scatter the scallions over the stew and serve immediately in the center of the table, family-style, with a ladle, tongs and bowls of fresh white rice.