Daewoo Budaejjigae (대우부대찌개): Salute This Stew
Imagine yourself on a long, cold day in the middle of winter. What do you crave? Probably something hot and hearty. Maybe something spicy. If that’s the case, why not go for a steaming bowl of Budaejjigae (부대찌개), a Korean stew that includes American processed meats like spam and hot dogs. Its name translates to “Army Stew” because it was originally made with excess materials from the U.S. military base in South Korea.
When I visited Annie in Seoul, she brought me to Daewoo Budaejjigae (대우부대찌개) to try their version of the stew. By the moment we had sat down, she already placed an order for us. Each serving of Budaejjigae costs 12,000 WON per person so it’s not as cheap as I would have expected. In minutes, the Budaejjigae arrived but it was still uncooked and in its raw form. A stainless steel lid was placed on top then cooked directly on the table.
Daewoo Budaejjigae uses all the usual ingredients, such as spam, hot dog, minced meat, tofu, rice cake, ramen noodles, broth, garlic, and red pepper flakes/paste. But, the most unique aspect about Daewoo Budaejjigae is the fact that they also add water parsley! This vegetable has a long stem and gives off a fresh, herbaceous fragrance. In terms of flavor, it’s grassy, peppery, and slightly bitter. The taste might not be for everyone but I personally liked it. The water parsley helped balance out the other spicy and salty flavors. For a meat lovers experience, there is a Budaejjigae option with beef sirloin.
Overall, the Budaejjigae was very good. Annie strongly recommends enjoying the Budaejjigae with a bowl of rice. And, give your taste buds a chance to reset once in a while by taking advantage of the complimentary radish kimchi, baek (white) kimchi, and pickled perilla leaf. My personal favorite is the perilla leaf.
Cuisine: Korean
Average Price per Person: $10 USD / 12,000 WON
Address:
South Korea, 서울특별시 강남구 역삼1동 테헤란로25길 34
Recommended:
Budaejjigae (부대찌개)
If you can’t read Korean, here’s our menu so you can order Budaejjigae too!
The Budaejjigae arrived at our table like this. Every part was still uncooked or raw. Don’t let this turn you off! Appreciate the simplicity of the process. A stainless steel lid was placed on top and we were told to wait.
After a few minutes, the cover was lifted and this was the final result. All the previously uncooked ingredients have amalgamated into this beautiful, bubbling stew.