Bu-dae Chi-gae (부대찌개)

DID U KNOW that Bu-dae Chi-gae literally means army stew? During the Korean war, Koreans would salvage leftover food from the American soldiers who had an abundance of hot dogs, sausages, and spam along with other staples. They mixed it with their kimchi and make a delicious stew.

Army-base Stew
Bu-dae Chi-gae (부대찌개)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 can Spam
• 1 Frankfurter or Schublig
• vienna sausage
• enoki mushroom
• chinese cabbage
• firm tofu
• ramyeon (noodles)
• oval rice cake
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 cup kimchi with sauce

Soup Base

• 6 Cups Water
• 6 Pieces Dried Anchovies
• 3-4 Pieces Kelp

Sauce

• 1 Tbsp Red Pepper Powder
• 2 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Cooking Wine (or Water)
• ⅛ tsp Black Pepper

Method:

1. Boil the anchovies and kelp in water.
2. While the soup is boiling, combine the ingredients for the sauce.
3. Take out the kelp after 5 min and then the anchovies after another 5 min.
4. Slice the spam 1/2 cm thick and again half wide. Do the same for the tofu. Cut up the sausage diagonally about the same thickness.
5. Slice the veggies. Cut the bottom part of the enoki. Chop up the green onions.
6. Set aside the soup base after 10 min.

7. Lay out the vegetables and sausage in the pan. put the sauce on top and pour the soup base.
8. Gently stir as the mixture starts to boil. Drain the rice cake and put in the pan.
9. Break the ramyeon noodle in half and put it in the pan. Wait until  the noodles are cooked. Serve with rice.

This makes a sumptuous meal!