Korean Comfort Food - The Military Stew - Budae Jjigae Recipe with SPAM

Korean army stew (budae jjigae also referred to as military stew or army base stew) is a famous dish in Korea that is the earliest form of Korean-American fusion stew. It has its origin from the Korean War in the early 1950's when the US military aiding the war brought a whole host of canned foods and processed meat such as SPAM, sausages, and baked beans. Koreans combined it with kimchi soup to create a filling stew out of it. The poverty driven people from the war at the time must have also opted for making a soup with these ingredients to get the most food out of them too. In any case, this military stew is still eaten all throughout South Korea and is a popular comfort food. It's an interesting dish with an identity of both Korean and the United States with the sad history of war. The taste is amazing. I bet it made them forget about the war at least for a little while during the meal. I do make it at home often and I also like to make it when I go camping.

Ingredients:

Soup Base:
1/2 tbsp gochujang
2 tbsp coarse gochugaru
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp sugar
3-4 cloves minced garlic
White pepper
Garlic powder
3 tbsp water

Soup Content:
3 cups water
1/2 can of Spam
3-4 Sausages
3 slices of bacon
4-5 button mushrooms
1 Enoki mushroom cut in smaller pieces
1/4 onion
1/2 cup kimchi
1/2 firm tofu
Green onion (2 inches)
Red / green jalapeños
1 ramen
3-4 tbsp baked beans
slice of cheese

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