Army Base Stew with Spam, Hot Dogs and Instant Ramen

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Korea's greatest pantry dish: a spicy, savory kimchi broth built on a spoonable gochugaru-doenjang-garlic paste, then layered like a tabletop mosaic with sliced Spam, hot dogs, tofu, mushrooms and aged kimchi. You bring the whole pot to the table, melt a slice of American cheese over the top, and drop in instant ramen noodles at the very end so they stay springy. Nearly everything comes from cans and the back of the fridge, but the layered presentation makes it feel like the $30 restaurant version.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp gochugaru (Korean coarse red pepper flakes)
• 1 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin or dry sherry
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth or anchovy-kelp stock
• 1 piece dried kelp (kombu), 4-inch square, optional

• 1 can Spam or other luncheon meat (12 oz), sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 4 hot dogs, sliced on a diagonal
• 6 oz pork shoulder or pork belly, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups well-fermented napa kimchi, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup kimchi brine
• 14 oz firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch slabs
• 4 oz button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups green cabbage or napa cabbage, cut into ribbons
• 1/3 cup canned baked beans, optional
• 4 stalks scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths

• 2 packets instant ramen noodles (seasoning packets reserved)
• 2 slices American cheese
• 4 oz rice cakes (tteok), soaked, optional
• cooked short-grain rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the seasoning paste: in a small bowl, stir together the gochugaru, doenjang, gochujang, minced garlic, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, sesame oil, and black pepper until it forms a thick, glossy paste. Set aside — this is the entire flavor engine of the stew, so taste it: it should be pungent, salty, and deeply spicy.
2. If using kombu, put it in a saucepan with the broth and heat over medium until small bubbles form around the edges, about 8 minutes, then remove and discard the kombu. Otherwise just warm the broth. Keep it hot on a low burner.
3. Slice the Spam into 1/4-inch planks, then cut each plank in half. Slice the hot dogs on a sharp diagonal. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch slabs and pat dry. Slice the pork thinly. Having everything cut before you build the pot is the whole trick to the layered look.
4. Spread the sliced onion and cabbage ribbons over the bottom of a wide 4- to 5-quart shallow pot or Dutch oven (12 inches across is ideal). Scatter the chopped kimchi over one side.
5. Arrange the Spam, hot dogs, sliced pork, tofu slabs, and mushrooms in neat overlapping fans radiating out from the center, keeping each ingredient in its own wedge. Tuck in the rice cakes if using and spoon the baked beans into one small gap.
6. Drop the seasoning paste in a mound in the very center of the pot and pour the kimchi brine over the kimchi. Pour the hot broth down the side of the pot until the ingredients are about three-quarters submerged, roughly 4 to 5 cups; do not stir, or you will lose the arrangement.
7. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, 6 to 8 minutes. Once boiling, reduce to a lively simmer and cook 10 to 12 minutes, occasionally spooning broth over the top and gently pressing the center mound of paste so it dissolves into the liquid. The pork should be cooked through and the cabbage collapsed.
8. Taste the broth. If it needs more depth, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of a reserved ramen seasoning packet or a splash more soy sauce. If it is too fierce, add 1/2 cup water.
9. Carry the pot to the table over a portable burner or trivet. Nestle the instant ramen noodle bricks into the simmering broth, scatter the scallions over the top, and lay the American cheese slices over the noodles. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes until the noodles loosen and the cheese melts into a creamy streak.
10. Break up the noodles with tongs, stir the pot once to combine everything, and ladle into bowls with rice alongside. Keep the burner on low and top up with a splash of hot broth or water as people eat down the pot.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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