Simple Budae Jjigae for One (Korean Army Stew)
Our budae jjigae/ Korean army stew for one person is super simple and easy to make - takes only 10 minutes! It's a super comforting and hearty stew, filled with all the classic ingredients like spam, sausages, kimchi, and instant noodles, completed with a mild spicy soup.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 1 serving
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 5 Korean style Vienna sausage (sliced or cut into desired shapes* (you can also use mini cocktail sausages or a hotdog instead))
- ¼ can spam (sliced)
- ½ cup fermented kimchi (cut into bite size)
- ½ small yellow onion (sliced)
- ¼ block firm tofu (drained and sliced (optional))
- 1.5 ounce shimeji mushrooms (root removed (feel free to use any mushrooms of your choice or not at all)*)
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (coarse) ((Korean red pepper flakes))
- ½ tablespoon gochujang ((Korean red pepper paste))
- ½ tablespoon garlic (minced (1 large clove))
- 2 cups water (or stock)
- 1 pack instant noodle ((our favorite is Shin ramyeon because it has really nice texture, but feel free to use what you have.))
- 1 slice American cheese (or your preferred cheese (optional))
- 1 stalk green onion (sliced (or Korean leeks))
Instructions
- 1
Add the ingredients for budae jjigae in a medium pot, except for the water, instant noodles, cheese and green onion. Feel free to nicely arrange all the ingredients if you'd like.*We like to have our main ingredients around the pot and save the center for the "soup base" (gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, etc).*
- 2
Pour the water over the ingredients and bring the stew to a boil over medium high heat and cook for a minute or two.
- 3
Add the instant noodle into the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the noodles are loosened.
- 4
Finish the budae jjigae with the slice of cheese and sliced green onions. Cook for another 30 seconds to a minute, or until the noodles are just cooked.
- 5
Serve the stew immediate and enjoy while it's hot. You can also eat the budae jjigae with a small side of steamed white rice.