Budae Jjigae — Army Base Stew (부대찌개)

Ingredients

• For the anchovy stock
• 1.2 litres water
• 20 g dried anchovies (mareun myeolchi), heads and guts removed
• 10 g dried kelp (dasima), wiped clean
• 200 g Spam, sliced 5 mm thick
• 150 g hot dogs, scored with shallow diagonal cuts
• 200 g aged kimchi, 1–3 months fermented, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp doenjang
• 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 100 g firm tofu, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 80 g mushrooms, enoki or shiitake, trimmed
• 1 block ramyeon (Korean instant ramen noodles), seasoning packet discarded
• 2 slices American processed cheese (Kraft singles or equivalent), added whole at the finish
• 3 spring onions, cut into 4 cm lengths

Method

1. 1
   Combine the dried anchovies, kelp, and water in a pot and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat; hold for 15 minutes, so that the anchovies and kelp surrender their savour gradually — a hard boil would cloud the stock and push it bitter. Remove and discard the anchovies and kelp. The stock should be pale gold and carry a clean, saline sea depth — taste it, and if it reads thin or flat, reduce briefly over high heat until the flavour sharpens.
2. 2
   Stir the gochujang, doenjang, gochugaru, and soy sauce together in a small bowl until a uniform paste forms, so that no pocket of raw doenjang or undissolved gochujang survives to bloom unevenly in the pot. Add the paste to the anchovy stock and whisk in over medium heat until fully dissolved. The broth should run deep brick-red — taste for balance, and confirm that the fermented funk of the doenjang is present but not dominant.
3. 3
   Arrange the Spam slices, scored hot dogs, chopped aged kimchi, tofu cubes, mushrooms, and spring onions in the pan, then pour the spiced stock over the arranged ingredients to just cover, so that every element is in contact with the broth from the first moment and seasons evenly rather than steaming above it. Bring to an active simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 8–10 minutes, until the Spam has coloured at its edges and the kimchi has softened and released its fermented depth into the broth — this is where the dish lives or dies, because the salt and fat of the processed meats will pull a weak broth toward flatness, and only a robust, properly made anchovy base will hold.
4. 4
   Add the ramen noodles to the simmering broth and cook for exactly 3–4 minutes, stirring once to separate the strands so they hydrate evenly rather than clumping into a dense mass that stays raw at the core. The noodles are done when they yield with the faintest resistance at the centre — al dente is the textural peak, and beyond this point they collapse into the broth and the dish loses its character.
5. 5
   Lay the processed cheese slices over the surface of the stew and remove from heat, so the residual warmth melts the cheese gently rather than breaking it into greasy threads. Allow 30 seconds for the cheese to soften, sheet outward, and disappear into the liquid, adding richness and tempering the spice. Serve directly from the pan.