Easy Korean Army Soup
Serves 2 · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 20 minutes · Total: about 35 minutes
This version keeps the soup simple: red kimchi broth, Spam or sausage, soft cabbage, onion, baked beans, and scallions. No giant pile of ramen or cheese, so it stays closer to the bowl in the photo.
Sour kimchi is best here. It can simmer without disappearing, and it gives the broth that rounded, spicy, fermented flavor you want in a stew. If you like a little more kimchi texture, hold back a few spoonfuls and stir them in near the end.
Ingredients
For the soup
- 4 cups chicken broth, anchovy broth, or water
- 1 cup napa cabbage, chopped into large pieces
- ½ onion, sliced
- ¾ cup sour kimchi, chopped
- 2 tablespoons kimchi juice
- ½ can Spam, sliced into small rectangles
- 1 hot dog, smoked sausage, or Korean sausage, sliced
- ½ cup canned baked beans
- ½ cup Korean rice cakes (optional)
- 1 scallion, sliced, for topping
For the seasoning paste
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- Black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Make the seasoning paste
In a small bowl, mix the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, and black pepper.
- 2
Layer the pot
In a medium pot, add the cabbage, onion, kimchi, kimchi juice, Spam, sausage, baked beans, and rice cakes if using. If you want a little brighter kimchi texture, save a few spoonfuls of kimchi to add at the end.
- 3
Add broth and paste
Pour in the broth. Add the seasoning paste and gently stir so it dissolves into the liquid.
- 4
Simmer
Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer. Cook for 12–15 minutes, until the cabbage softens, the kimchi mellows into the broth, the liquid turns red and glossy, and the rice cakes are tender.
- 5
Add the reserved kimchi
If you saved some kimchi, stir it in during the last 3–5 minutes of cooking.
- 6
Taste and adjust
Taste the broth. Add a little more soy sauce if it needs salt, a splash of kimchi juice if it tastes flat, or a pinch of sugar if it tastes too sharp.
- 7
Serve
Top with sliced scallions and serve hot with white rice.
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