Korea's Cheesy Hotdog & Spam Army Stew: Budae Jjigae | Why We Eat

Ji Hye Kim, owner of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor, Michigan, reveals the tasty and beloved history of Budae Jjigae. This popular Korean soup is a combination of food rations, such as Spam and hot dogs, with vegetables, noodles, and tofu. Created in post-war Korea, this savory and spicy dish remains an enduring comfort food, delighting taste buds and bringing people together.

Check out the recipe here:

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[SStrunks]

People who are turned off by this because of spam or hotdogs don't know what they're missing. It is delicious and comforting, especially with a night of drinking like she mentioned.

[jdisgreat]

Some people that are commenting about the processed meats or the cheese are missing the point of this dish. This is one of my favorites

[Yesnog]

I'm half Japanese and half Filipina and my sister in-law in Korean-American and she makes the Army stew once a month. She used to be embarrassed making this dish in her college years when she was dating my older brother cause she thinks the stew is a last resort/poor man's food, but my brother loved it! I'll never forget what he said at the dinner table when she was surprised he really liked the dish. He told her "Are you kidding? Our family puts hotdogs in spaghetti and wrap spam in sushi rice and seaweed! I can eat this for days!" It's also fitting that he's also a US Army veteran lol. I cant wait to share this video with them and see their reaction!

[eoretaspace]

[Important tips]
This is also a mistake Anthony Bourdaine made while introducing Buddae Jjigae to Anderson Cooper, Jjigae is stew thats strong and often eaten with rice like a sauce, dont eat Bbudae Jjigae like Minestrone and get sodium coma

She didnt explain it well but it was called Army Stew cuz of two reasons, one is there were Korean kids in the 50s who would work the US bases as "house boys" that would do tasks like cleaning and help cooking, etc, my Grandfather was one of them and they would get paid with canned meat and other food products. They were considered too greasy for Koreans' taste so they were often eaten with Kimchi and made into stew to pump up the volume for the whole family to eat; two is because right after the Korean war, we were dirt poor so we would scavenger any food possible and that included US army base trash, they would clean up as much as possible, cook it into a stew and sell it on the streets as GgoolGgool-E Jook

SPAM in made differently in Korea, domestically and use more meat than the US version, hence Koreans love it more and even given as holiday gifts in a nice package of 6-9, When I first tried SPAM in the US, i was surprised how salty it was compared to Korea. Sausages in 70s Korea were also considered a delicacy and you can only eat it in special days unless you were rich, , thats how poor we once were, and thats why many processed meat has made it to this stew. Also Koreans dont have much hate for processed meat cuz we didnt always have the luxury to eat fresh meat every day like the US until around the mid 2000s so it was our go to.

[weggerstars]

This was a fascinating video that was excellently put together. I loved seeing the cross between history and food. If I was a history teacher, I would definitely try to teach my class through this lens. And the way that she explained all the levels o flavor was incredible. Bravo on this video.

[spartan]

My first experience with eating army stew is from when I went camping with my friends. One of my friend’s friends is Korean and he made it for us for dinner after we set up everything. We used the leftover broth in the morning to make breakfast too. I’ve been making it as comfort food ever since then. It always brings back happy memories and I love to make it for friends who’ve never had it before. It is a dish that just exudes the power of people coming together. I’ve added everything from broccoli and miso to pumpkin and fish cakes to mine.

[nlb]

such an educational video! really appreciate all the historical context the chef provided and this jigae looks delicious ❤

[albertrodneymounger]

Having lived in South Korea for over 20 years, this brings back memories. I learned how to make this and it is my winter time comfort food! I have been known to drive many hours to find the ingredients for this. Older soft kimchi is the secret to soup. Not the same with fresh kimchi. Try it and you will love it!

[sightlypanda]

"Those of us who drink, REALLY perfect 👌"

She knows what's up.

[jingcc]

Such a great video! The content, the history, the culinary knowledge all stewed together to bring about an amazing dish. The Chef was perfect in bringing this stew together. Well done!!! 👏🏽

[Alex-xdft]

I enjoyed the chef’s appreciation for history!

[kidmackenzie]

I have a deep love for this dish its something akin to the instant ramen that I would make for my siblings. We had nothing at one time and I would just put anything into instant ramen to make it stretch! We called it silly soup. Years later I went to South Korea and found Budae Jjigae and it was like an automatic connection!

[ItsAVolcano]

For those wondering about the name the ingredients for the stew, especially the cheap meat, originally came from US army bases in Korea from the food that would otherwise be thrown out because it was a few months from expiration.

This access to cheap protein has actually been speculated to have "kickstarted" the higher physical growth that's seen in modern South Koreans.

[Echenster]

That was definitely one of the most educational recipe videos I've ever seen. Going to try making it myself sometime!

[Lupcheong]

She's such a great story teller!!! Thank you for condensing the history of this dish. I learnt a lot

[zynarang]

I loved that the chef shared the stories behind the dishes and ingredients. That was so cool.

[marcosestrada]

Bravo… her story telling.. held my hand through the whole experience. I’ve had this a few times and I miss it more now.

[pattachan]

Budae Jjigae is such a comfort food! Warming and wholesome! It’s one of my favorite Korean meals!

[hannahmay]

I loved this video so much. Army stew is one of my favorite go-to late night dishes. It's filling, it's easy, and it's cheap to make. Plus you can feed an entire crowd with it.

[juandanielvillarreal]

Made this today for dinner, it was so good! I loved the variety of meats, textures, and flavors, something different in every bite. I've never used kimchi before, but this is the first time of many, it adds a layer of flavor that I haven't had in my cooking before. Huge explosion of flavor. This and spam musubi have really changed the way I think about spam.