Budae-jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew)

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix the chilli flakes, gochujang, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, cooking wine and pepper with 2 tbsp of the stock to make the seasoning paste. Leaving it while you chop lets the chilli flakes swell so they dissolve easily into the broth.

   Add in this stepKorean chilli flakes (gochugaru) 1½ tbspGochujang (Korean chilli paste) 1 tbspSoy sauce 1 tbspMinced garlic 1 tbspSugar 1 tspKorean cooking wine (mirin also works) 1 tbspBlack pepper 1 pinchAnchovy stock (or water) 35 ml

2. Slice the luncheon meat 1 cm thick and the sausages 1 cm thick on the diagonal. Cut the tofu into 1 cm slices, the onion into thick strips and the green onion into 5 cm diagonal pieces, and cut the kimchi into bite-size pieces.

3. Spread the onion and kimchi over the bottom of a wide, shallow 24 cm pot, then arrange the luncheon meat, sausages and tofu on top in separate sections. Add the baked beans and green onion and put the seasoning paste in the middle.

   Add in this stepOnion 60 gWell-fermented kimchi 120 gCanned processed luncheon meat 140 gFrankfurters or cocktail sausages 100 gFirm tofu 120 gBaked beans in tomato sauce 2 tbspLarge green onion (or leek) 1

4. Pour the stock in around the edge of the pot, not over the paste, and bring to a boil over high heat for 7 min.

   Add in this stepAnchovy stock (or water) 665 ml

   high heat

5. Once it boils, turn down to medium heat, gently break up the paste with a ladle and simmer for 6 min. Taste, and add a little more soy sauce if it needs it.

   medium heat

6. Put the noodles in the middle, lay the cheese on top and cook over medium-high heat for 3 min, loosening the noodles with chopsticks. When they are springy, turn off the heat, bring the whole pot to the table and serve from it.

   Add in this stepInstant ramen noodle block (without the seasoning) 1Processed cheese slice 1

   medium-high heat