Budae jjigae
Budae jjigae (부대 찌개), literally "military base soup", is an extremely popular dish in South Korea and one that carries an interesting story.
This soup was invented at the end of the Korean War (I talk about it here and here), when the Korean population was starving and American soldiers stationed in South Korea had large quantities of canned food available at their military bases. The soup is made up of tin or long-life ingredients; in vogue during the 1950s, buddae jjigae is still a well-known and appreciated dish today. It is said that it was first made in the city of Uijeongbu, where it is still quite popular today.
The buddae jjigae is prepared on a stove directly on the table, but alternatively you can cook it on the normal stove and then place it in its pot in the middle of the diners.
INGREDIENTS FOR ANCHOVY STOCK
- 2 liters of still water
- 10 gr of dried anchovies
- 1 piece of kombu seaweed
- 2 spring onions
- 1 piece of daikon
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SOUP
- 1 liter of anchovy broth
- 150 gr of kimchi
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 100 gr sliced champignon mushrooms
- 1 package of enoki mushrooms
- 50 gr small canned pinto beans
- 5 sausages cut diagonally (I used the Japanese mini ones, sweeter)
- 1 box of sliced canned meat (Spam)
- 1 pack of solid tofu
- 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
- 1 tablespoon of gochugaru
- 1 tablespoon of gochujang
- 1 teaspoon of fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 1 pack of instant ramen noodles
- 100 gr of glass noodles (put in warm water for at least 20 minutes)
- 1 slice
- black pepper powder
- 1 chopped spring onion (for garnish)
- 2 servings of steamed rice (optional)
PREPARATION OF ANCHOVY STOCK
Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and let it simmer for about an hour. Filter and store in a container.
PREPARATION OF THE SOUP
- Heat the oil in a large, high-sided pan, fry the onion and champignon mushrooms for a few moments. Then add the kimchi and continue to fry.
- Combine all the other ingredients (except the spring onions, the slices and the instant ramen noodles). Place the flame on medium intensity and cook for about twenty minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Once you have finished the ingredients, if you have some broth left over, you can add the portions of rice to make the "scarpetta": just absorb all the remaining broth and then consume the rice, rich in flavor.
