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Budae Jjigae (Army Stew) with Nongshim Instant K Army Stew

Nongshim
Budae Jjigae (Army Stew) is a Korean hot pot dish created in the 1950's, shortly after the Korean War, during a time when food was scarce, and the population had to make do with what was available, which included surplus canned foods from US military bases.

Budae Jjigae is made by mixing American ingredients like Spam, sausages, canned beans and even processed cheese, with traditional Korean ingredients like kimchi, tofu, noodles and rice cakes. While it was originally eaten out of necessity, it has since become one of Korea’s most popular hot pot dishes, often eaten with friends and colleagues.

Instant Ramen

Instant K Army Stew, from Nongshim, is an easy way to make budae jjigae at home. Simply follow the cooking instructions on the package, and add your favorite toppings. For our stew, we’ve added fried tofu skins, sausage, white and green onion, ham, mushrooms, kimchi, and a slice of American cheese. For added color and flavor, we chose to sear our protein and vegetables in a separate pan with a little oil, before adding them our stew. You can also skip this step, and cook everything in one pot.

Like with all hot pot dishes, feel free to add your own mix of vegetables and protein. What ingredients are going into your perfect pot of Budae Jjigae?