Tried out bean sprouts. We also used some shrimp flavored fish balls. Recipe coming soon!.
What is Budae Jjigae:
Budae Jjigae (Army Base Stew or Army Stew) is a Korean-American fusion hot pot meal. After the end of the Korean war in 1953, South Korea had fallen into hard times. Basic life necessities such as food were extremely scarce. American processed food items such as Spam, hot dogs, sausages, baked beans, American cheese were obtained from U.S. Army bases and incorporated into a stock with Korean items such as kimchi, tofu, noodles, gochujang to form a unique dish that provided the nutritional requirements that people desperately needed and saved life's.
Today, Budae Jjigae is popular throughout Korea and is the nation’s leading fusion dish. The franchise restaurant Nolboo is one of the largest chain restaurants in Korea and claims to sell it’s Budae Jjigae at a rate of one order per second. The two most common styles of Budae Jjigae are Uijeongbu and Songtan. In the city of Uijeongbu, there is Budaejjigae Street where numerous restaurants serve the famed hot pot meal including it’s birthplace, Oden Sikdang restaurant.
Who created Budae Jjigae:
Budae Jjigae was created after the end of the Korean War by Heo Gi-suk in the city of Uijeongbu, located 30km north of Seoul in the province of Gyeonggi in South Korea.
What’s with the ramyeon:
I incorporate the ramyeon (Korean instant ramen) seasoning into my Budae Jjigae recipe to mimic restaurant style Budae Jjigae. The ramyeon listed in the ingredients is the one that I feel works best for me. The following ramyeon and their seasonings have all been used in my recipe and confirmed to work great!.
Nongshim K-Army Stew (Made in USA)
Nongshim Shin Ramyun (Made in USA)
Nongshim Shin Ramyun (Made in Korea)
Ottogi Jin Ramen Spicy (Made in Korea)
Paldo Teumsae Ramyun (Made in Korea)