Minestrone could be repurposed as budae jjigae, Korean army stew, brilliantly. Both stews are made with a ton of veggies and finished with either dried pasta or instant noodles. Additionally to veggies, budae jjigae have cure meat or sausages. In this case, hot dogs work perfectly in this recipe for giving the stew a nice salty flavor. Last but not least, budae jjigae needs kimchi, the older the better. However, without kimchi, add pickled chilies (B&G pickled hot cherry peppers are the best), pickle juice, fish sauce, and miso to make up for the flavor.
For the latest New Lifestyle Cooking Series:
Repurposing Minestrone, Making Budae Jjigae
Serves: 4 to 6 portions
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cup diced onions, large dice
2 cups quartered button mushrooms
1 cup diced red bell pepper, large dice
1 head fresh garlic, split each clove in half
5 hot dog, sliced on a bias to bite size
4 stalks scallions, cut into 2-inch long, save half for garnish
3 quarts water
3 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chili paste)
3 tablespoons miso
2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
3 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon MSG
1 + 1/2 teaspoon mirin
3 tablespoons pickle juice from B&G Hot Cherry Peppers*
2 quarts minestrone (if not using leftover minestrone, add 1 cup crushed tomatoes and 1 more quart of water or any stock)
1 block/package tofu, cut into pinkie size chunk
2 packages of instant ramen
* substitute with other pickle juice as long as it doesn’t have other flavors, such as dill pickles.
- Add everything except minestrone, tofu, and instant ramen into a pot and bring it to a boil. Boil the stew for 10 to 15 minutes until all the veggies are tender and the stew is delicious.
- Add minestrone, tofu, and instant ramen last. Bring the stew back up to a boil and cook until instant ramen is cooked, takes about 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve hot. Bon Appétit!