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1
Whisk the Broth Base
3 Mins
No heat yet — about 20°C (68°F)
Whisk the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, minced garlic, sugar and the ramen seasoning sachets into the 800 ml of water in a jug until the paste dissolves. Taste: it should be salty, spicy and a little sweet. This is the only seasoning the pot gets, so get it right now.
Dissolving the paste in water first stops lumps of gochujang hiding under the noodles.
Done when: The liquid is smooth, deep red, and tastes salty-spicy with a sweet edge.
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2
Arrange the Pot
5 Mins
No heat yet — about 20°C (68°F)
Place the sliced Spam, sausage pieces, kimchi with its brine, baked beans, tofu cubes, onion, mushrooms and spring onions in separate piles in a wide, shallow pot. Tuck the rice cakes between the piles. Pour the broth over everything — it should come about three-quarters of the way up the solids.
A wide pot beats a tall one: more surface boils faster and everyone can reach in.
Done when: Every pile is visible above the broth; nothing is buried.
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3
Simmer the Stew
12 Mins
High heat to a boil, about 100°C (212°F), then medium
Set the pot over high heat, cover, and bring to a rolling boil — about 5 minutes. Uncover, turn down to a steady medium simmer and cook for 7 more minutes, until the sausage is heated through, the rice cakes are soft and chewy, and the kimchi has coloured the broth. The Spam and sausage must reach at least 74°C (165°F) right through.
Do not stir hard: it breaks the tofu and turns the pot cloudy.
Done when: The broth is bubbling steadily, the rice cakes bend without snapping, and the meats are piping hot through.
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4
Add the Noodles
4 Mins
Medium heat, about 100°C (212°F)
Lay the two ramen blocks on top of the stew, push them gently into the broth with tongs, and simmer for 3–4 minutes until the noodles loosen and turn tender. Lift and separate the strands once or twice so they cook evenly, but leave the piles underneath alone.
Noodles go in last for a reason — added earlier, they soak up all the broth and turn to mush.
Done when: The noodles are springy and separate, with no hard white core.
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5
Melt the Cheese and Serve
2 Mins
Low heat, about 90°C (194°F)
Lay the two cheese slices over the top, drizzle with the sesame oil, cover for 1 minute until the cheese melts into glossy ribbons, then serve the pot at the table on a portable burner or straight from the stove. Eat straight from the pot with rice on the side.
The cheese is not a garnish — melted into the broth, it softens the chilli heat.
Done when: The cheese has melted into the broth and the pot is still bubbling at the table.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the pot bubbling at the centre of the table with bowls of steamed rice and extra kimchi. Ladle broth, noodles and a little of everything into each bowl — the fun of budae jjigae is that every serving is a different mix.
South Korea
1h 5m
