02/01/2021
Boodaejjigae (Army base stew) for lunch today! For those who have tried it are probably thinking, omg i want this now! For those who haven't, you might be thinking, hotdog meat and spam in a stew?
This Korean-American dish was invented after the Korean war where they incorporated Korean ingredients and American can/processed food that were brought in by the American army when they were stationed in Korea (or something like that lol). It became really popular and considered one of Korea's favourite comfort foods.
You may need to make a stop at your local Korean market to make this dish. If you're interested, here's how I do it:
1 cup pork (they have ones for stew or you can use pork belly), cut into small pieces
1/2 can of spam or any ham, sliced
3-4 hotdog meat, sliced
1/2 cup rice cake (any shape)
1/2 package of tofu, sliced
1 cup kimchi
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 instant noodles (just the noodles)
Handful of enoki mushrooms, optional
2 cups seasoned beef bone broth (u can buy these at the market) + 2 cups water OR 4 cups anchovie broth OR 4 cups chicken broth
*You can also add canned bake beans and processed cheese, but I omitted them.
Stew sauce:
2-4 tbsp korean chili pepper powder (gochugaru) Add based on how spicy you want it. I added 2 to accommodate my son
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp mirin
1/2 tbsp fermented bean paste (dwenjang)
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce (get the one that's made for soup if you can)
Photo 1 - In a small mixing bowl, add all stew sauce ingredients and mix well. In a large pan or stew pan, add all listed ingredients above expect the broth. Add the sauce on top.
Photo 2 - 10 mins before serving, add broth and transfer pan over to the stove or portable burner.
Photo 3 - Bring to boil and cook for 5-7 minutes while you pour the broth over the ingredients with a spoon. At this point, you can take out the noodles to prevent it from overcooking (or you can add the noodles later)
Photo 4 - Lower the heat to medium low and let it simmer for couple more minutes until everything is cooked. If you plan on adding the cheese and beans, you can add it now. Add the noodles back in and serve with rice :)
