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 Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Total Time10 minutesmins
Yield: 1person
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Ingredients
5Korean style Vienna sausagesliced or cut into desired shapes* (you can also use mini cocktail sausages or a hotdog instead)
1packinstant noodle(our favorite is Shin ramyeon because it has really nice texture, but feel free to use what you have.)
1sliceAmerican cheeseor your preferred cheese (optional)
1stalkgreen onionsliced (or Korean leeks)
Instructions
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).*
Pour the water over the ingredients and bring the stew to a boil over medium high heat and cook for a minute or two.
Add the instant noodle into the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the noodles are loosened.
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.
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.
Notes
Please refer to the post for photo references, tips, substitutions, and other FAQs to make this budae jjigae simple and easy!
Fermented kimchi - This is a must for budae jjigae, as it is the main flavoring for the stew. Make sure to use fermented, sour kimchi to give the army stew more depth of flavor.
Korean vienna sausages - Feel free to substitute these sausages with whatever mini sausages you have available. You can also use a hotdog instead. We like to use mini sausages so that we can cut them into cute "octopuses".
To cut octopus sausages: Make two lengthwise cuts, half way up the sausages.
Mushrooms - Totally optional. Also feel free to use whatever mushrooms you'd like. If using mushrooms with large caps (like shiitake and portobellos), sliced them.