Kimchi Jjigae and Budae Jjigae

One of the most classic Korean dishes would have to be kimchi jjigae. It is stew in which the national food, kimchi, is the star. It has all the attributes of a quintessential Korean dish- the saltiness, the spiciness, the tanginess, and the heartiness- and it is also rather simple to make! As with doenjang jjigae and good doenjang, the key to good kimchi jjigae is good kimchi. It is suggested that you use older, riper kimchi because the longer you allow for kimchi to ferment, the stronger its flavor.

You can probably tell that many of the recipes on this blog use fish sauce. It should be available at your local Asian supermarket, but my mother uses fish sauce as her "secret ingredient"- it gives the dish a deeper, umami taste that accentuates its savoriness. She says fish sauce is a much better alternative to MSG, which is used by many restaurants and food manufacturers to produce a similar effect but with a much greater toll on our health.

Mama Lee's Kimchi Jjigae Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a head of cabbage kimchi, chopped
• 1/2 cup of pork, chopped or sliced
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 cup of tofu, sliced

Instructions:

1. Put all ingredients except for tofu in a pot and cook over high heat until it comes to a boil.
2. Add tofu and serve immediately.

If you happen to have some leftover kimchi jjigae, you can do what many Koreans have done for decades; add any meats you may have in your kitchen, a pack of ramen noodles, and transform your kimchi jjigae into budae jjigae.

Budae jjigae is one of my favorite Korean dishes because of its distinct history. Budae jjigae roughly translates to 'army base stew' and this is because it originated during World War II when food was scarce in South Korea. Given that the U.S. was South Korea's ally, many U.S. soldiers would station themselves in South Korean military bases. They brought with them many "American" foods such as Spam, hot dogs, and ham, and after they finished eating, there would be a lot of these meats left over. The Korean soldiers, and later the Korean citizens, highly valued these leftovers, given the circumstances they were in. They opted to take the meats and mix them into their kimchi jjigae (which is very cheap and quick to make), along with some instant noodles, and they were able to amplify the measly soup into a hearty meal fit for many.

Though the War has been over for decades and South Korea has advanced dramatically both technologically and economically, budae jjigae is still made frequently. Instead of using leftovers from American soldiers, however, Koreans will buy the meats from the supermarket and make fresh budae jjigae. "Why?" you might ask. Because it's just that good!

Fun fact: There is actually a very big Spam culture in Korea. It started since WWII and it doesn't look like it is going away any time soon. There are tons of varieties of Spam to choose from, and during the holiday season, some supermarkets actually carry gift baskets consisting of an assortment of Spam! The stigma against Spam that is so prevalent in America is actually nearly non-existent in Korea.

Budae Jjigae Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups kimchi jjigae
• 1 pack instant noodles (noodles only)
• 1/2 packet of instant noodle soup
• 2 hot dog sausages, sliced diagonally into 1/4 in pieces
• 2 1/4 in slices Spam (or ham), cut into thirds

Instructions:

1. Put everything into a pot and allow for the stew to come to boil. Cook for around 4 minutes or until the instant noodles are fully cooked.