Spicy & Hearty Budae Jjigae: The Ultimate Golden Recipe
A Budae Jjigae Recipe Better Than Your Favorite Restaurant
Tired of Budae Jjigae turning out like plain Kimchi Jjigae? This recipe uses a perfect balance of baked beans and kimchi to achieve a flavor identical to what you’d get at a specialty restaurant. It’s a game-changer for your next camping trip or get-together!
Stew Ingredients
- 200g Spam (sliced into bite-sized pieces)
- 500g Beef bone broth (store-bought or homemade)
- 500g Water
- 5 Sausages (cut in half lengthwise)
- 100g Ground pork
- 1/2 cup Baked beans
- 3 leaves Napa cabbage (cut into easy-to-eat pieces)
- 1/2 block Firm tofu (sliced into 0.5-inch thick pieces)
- 1 handful Glass noodles (pre-soaked)
- 1 Green chili pepper (sliced diagonally)
- 1 Red chili pepper (sliced diagonally)
- 1/2 stalk Green onion (sliced diagonally)
Seasoning Paste
- 2 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Cooking wine (Cheongju)
- 2 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1/2 Tbsp Chicken stock powder (for umami boost!)
- 2 Tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp Minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp Water
- Pinch of Black pepper
Pork Seasoning
- 100g Ground pork
- 1 Tbsp Cooking wine (Cheongju)
- 1 tsp Grated ginger (optional, for odor removal)
- Pinch of Black pepper
- 2 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Cooking wine (Cheongju)
- 2 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1/2 Tbsp Chicken stock powder (for umami boost!)
- 2 Tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp Minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp Water
- Pinch of Black pepper
Pork Seasoning
- 100g Ground pork
- 1 Tbsp Cooking wine (Cheongju)
- 1 tsp Grated ginger (optional, for odor removal)
- Pinch of Black pepper
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, season the 100g of ground pork with 1 Tbsp cooking wine, 1 tsp grated ginger (optional), and a pinch of black pepper. Mix well. This step helps to remove any gamey odor from the pork, making the stew more delicious.
Step 2
Cut the Napa cabbage into 3-4cm pieces. Napa cabbage adds a natural sweetness to the broth, enhancing the overall flavor of the Budae Jjigae. If you don’t have Napa cabbage, you can use regular cabbage or briefly marinate it with a little cider.
Step 3
Slice the green onion diagonally into 1cm thick pieces. Remove the stems from the green and red chili peppers and slice them diagonally into about 0.5cm thick pieces. This adds vibrant color and a pleasant spicy kick.
Step 4
Slice the firm tofu into roughly 1.5cm thick pieces. For the enoki mushrooms, trim the base and gently separate them into individual strands. Enoki mushrooms contribute a refreshing element to the broth.
Step 5
Slice the sausages diagonally about 1cm thick. Slice the Spam into about 0.5cm thick pieces. You can adjust the thickness or shape of the Spam and sausages according to your preference.
Step 6
Finely chop the kimchi into approximately 1.5cm pieces using scissors or a knife. Chopping it too large can make the broth feel heavy, so aim for a consistent, smaller size.
Step 7
Now, let’s make the seasoning paste. In a bowl, combine 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp cooking wine, 2 Tbsp gochugaru, 1/2 Tbsp chicken stock powder, 2 Tbsp oyster sauce, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 2 Tbsp water, and a pinch of black pepper. Mix everything thoroughly. Adding chicken stock powder can provide an extra layer of savory flavor, similar to store-bought broths.
Step 8
In a pot, combine 500g of beef bone broth and 500g of water. Add the seasoned ground pork, sliced Spam, sausages, Napa cabbage, kimchi, baked beans, and tofu. Bring this to a boil. Once it starts boiling, stir in the prepared seasoning paste to adjust the flavor. (Do not add the glass noodles, enoki mushrooms, green onions, or chili peppers yet.)
Step 9
As the stew comes to a rolling boil, add the pre-soaked glass noodles, separated enoki mushrooms, diagonally sliced green onions, and chili peppers. Let it simmer for a little longer until the glass noodles are cooked and all the flavors have melded together. Your delicious Budae Jjigae is now ready to be enjoyed hot!
