11 Hearty BUDAE JJIGAE aka ARMY STEW In Singapore To Enjoy In This Rainy Weather

“Budae Jjigae” 부대 찌개 is a popular spicy sausage stew dish found in many Korean restaurants in Singapore, comprising of mainly ingredients of processed food such as spam, sausages, baked beans and sliced cheese.

This is closely related to its origins. The words “gun budae” often refers to military camps in Korea.

After the Korean war, food was extremely scare and surplus processed foods from the US military bases became useful for the Korean. Surplus foods such as processed meat products from army bases, are used by people to create thick jjigae (stews).

Thus, the name “Army Stew”.

To me, the main differentiating factor between competing restaurants is always in its base, that it has a balanced mix of spiciness, saltiness and slight sweetness (from the tomato baked beans), with the density not overly gravy-thick, or soup-like thin.

Here are 11 Korean Restaurants that serves up hearty Army Stew aka Budae Jjigae In Singapore:

Twins Korean Restaurant
7 Craig Rd Singapore 089667 (Tanjong Pagar MRT)
Tel: +65 6221 5205
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 3:00pm, 5:00pm – 12:00am (Mon – Sat), 5:00pm – 11:00pm (Sun)

Twins Korean Restaurant is known for its array of Korean Fried Chicken and dishes, cooked up by a pair of Korean twin-chefs and their team.

While most Korean restaurants would call their Budae Jjigae Army Stew, Twins name their version Army Soup ($40).

I reckon it is because this is a soupier version, and like hotpot, the waitress added more soup halfway through the meal.

Our table was divided on this, as another friend preferred something more stew-like with thicker base. I actually enjoyed the process of continual slurping, so this worked for me.

I also liked the fact that the noodles were not cooked before hand, because it would have been too soggy otherwise. Twins Restaurant (Craig Road)

Hello Korean BBQ
46 Circular Road Singapore 049401
Tel: +65 6438 6651
Opening Hours: Lunch 11:30am – 2:30pm, Dinner 5:30pm – 11:59pm (Mon – Sun)

You can order the Army Stew at Hello Korean BBQ as a single order ($39.80, shareable as it is quite substantial in size) or as a set ($59.80).

Each Army Stew set comes with a bowl of Steamed Egg and your choice of Spring Onion Seafood Pancake, Chive Seafood Pancake, or Kimchi Pancake.

Sharing dishes like Army Stew, Rice Cake Stew, and Spicy Mussel Stew (this one is available only for dinner) are available to complete your Korean BBQ experience.

Hello Korean BBQ’s version adds ramyeon noodles, enoki mushrooms, green onions, and red chilies, and certainly very tasty especially towards the end when the soup gets thicker with some sweetness form the baked beans. Hello Korean BBQ (Circular Road)

Patbingsoo Korean Dining House
VivoCity #B2-27 1 Harbourfront Walk Singapore 098585
Tel: +65 9187 0372
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10:00pm (Sun – Thurs), 11:30am – 11:00pm (Fri – Sat, Eve PH, PH) Last orders 30min before closing

A dish where Army Stew meets Tempura. Is this your dream come true?

Similar to the Japanese tempura, the Twi Gim Jjigae ($39.90) refers to batter-dipped deep-fried items like vegetables, meats and seafood. This jjigae (stew) features different types of twi gim such as seafood (prawns and mussels), meat (chicken sausage), vegetables (shiitake mushroom), and rice cake.

Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without the ramyeon.

The stew is infused with tteokbokki soup base for an intense flavour.

If you are concerned that the tempura would get too soggy if left in the soup for too long, you could pick up some of the crispier pieces out first. Otherwise, it is a different kind of satisfaction when the tempura pieces absorb the flavours of the stew.

Love spicy soup-base bursting with Gochujang flavours? This is for you. Patbingsoo Korean Dining House (VivoCity)

Tanjong Hwaro 탄종화로
67 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088488
Opening Hours: 6pm – 11pm (Mon – Fri), 12pm – 11pm (Sat – Sun)

While I was looking for a Korean BBQ place along the Tanjong Pagar stretch, someone at the wedding shop next door directed me to this restaurant, saying ”It’s very good.”

Even though it was new and therefore quieter than the other restaurants in the vicinity, I was game enough to give it a try.

There are six types of stews offered here, from King Beef Stew with Kimchi ($38), King Beef Rib with Tofu Stew ($38), Pork Kimchi Stew ($28), Soybean Tofu Stew ($28), Seafood Tofu Stew ($36) and Army Stew ($40).

While the Army Stew ($40) was at a higher price point compared to the average, I thought the base was rich and flavourful, not as diluted as some of the recent ones I tried. Hearty too.

The spam was soft and beancurd skin tasty, though I wished there was some form of actual meat slices to make it more value-for-money.

King Army Stew
190 Middle Road, Fortune Centre #03-19, Singapore 188979
Tel: +65 8926 1372
Opening Hours: 12pm – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 10:30pm, (Mon – Fri), 5pm – 10:30pm (Sat), Closed Sun

There are four types of stew offered at King Army Stew, namely the Classic Army Stew ($25.90, $35.90), Seafood Army Stew ($33.90, $45.90), Spicy Pork Ribs Stew ($28.90), and Beef Bulgogi Stew ($28.90).

Add-ons such as chicken franks, tteobokki, enoki mushrooms, sliced tofu, cheddar cheese slice, luncheon meat, baby octopus, asari clams, prawns and mussels are available, priced between $1 – $3 per portion.

The Classic Army Stew came with an assortment of ingredients such as onions, lettuce, luncheon meat, chicken franks, bacon, mushrooms, kimchi, baked beans, and instant ramen stewed in a homemade spicy paste, topped with cheddar cheese.

Accordingly, the recipe is by a Korean chef, but modified to suit local tastebuds.

While I wasn’t expecting too much, this Budae Jjigae was surprisingly quite daebak, coming in a bountiful pile of ingredients, in a thick and sweet base. King Army Stew (Fortune Centre)

Bigmama Korean Restaurant
2 Kim Tian Road, Singapore 169244
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 3pm, 5:30pm – 10:30pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon

Former tutor and caretaker, Ji-young Nam Gung nick-named as “Big Mama” (looks like “Cooking Mama” in the Nintendo game), set up a homely Korean eatery at Tiong Bahru after cooking for Korean students in Singapore for years.

Her Korean dishes are in between authentic and creative, because half are inspired by her own mama’s recipes while others have been fine tuned to suit Singaporean taste-buds.

There are six styles of Korean hotpot offered here, from Jjambong ($35), Budae ($35), Tteokbokki ($36), Kimchi Stew ($35), Bulgogi ($35) and Sundubu ($35).

The Army stew ($35) is part sweet part spicy with a variety of ingredients such as sausages, ham, vegetables, kimchi and ramyeon noodles. One of the special things you can find are mandu (Koream dumplings).

The soup was tasty though I would personally wish it was thicker and richer.

Kimchi Korean Restaurant
Suntec City Convention Tower, 3 Temasek Boulavard #02-387, Singapore 038983 (Esplanade , Promenade, City Hall MRT Station
Tel: +65 6337 7811
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10:30pm (Mon – Fri), 11am – 10:30pm (Sat – Sun)

I am a huge fan of Korean army stews, but I never had rice cake stew served this way before.

The Cheese Dduk Bok-ki Stew ($44.90) was like a cross between army stew, hotpot and oden.

There was a pot of spicy bean paste stew, where a box of ingredients came separate with compartments (now you know why I say oden).

Like having hotpot, you add ingredients that you like – from rice cake, prawns, mussels, oysters, crab, fish cake, luncheon ham, kim mari (Korean deep fried seaweed roll), cabbage, onion, jjol meon (chewy wheat Korean noodles), instant noodles and boiled egg. All at your own pace.

I would suggest having the stew on its own first, before adding the mozzarella cheese half-way through which would turn the base thicker and slightly saltier. Kimchi Korean Restaurant (Suntec City)

SEORAE
Jem, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, #B1-10, Singapore 608549 (Jurong East MRT)
Tel: +65 9199 8729
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10pm (Sun – Thurs), 11:30am – 11pm (Fri – Sat)

If this pot looks like a ”yuan-yang” duo hotpot, it probably is – but Korean version.

The 2-in-1 Jjigae ($45.90, Special Promo $98 with additional 3 BBQ meats) is best for people who are fond of variety and choices.

What you get are two hearty Korean broths in hot Korean pot, in which you can choose from 5 different options – Kimchi, Gochujang (red chilli), spicy and non-spicy Doenjang (bean paste), and Bulgogi soup base.

The stew also comes with a plate of pork collar or beef belly, complete with generous servings of zuchini, onion, beancurd, glass noodle, spring onion, and enoki and shiitake mushrooms.

I got the kimchi and bulgogi as I wanted a combination of both spicy and non.

While my dining partner preferred the clear and sweetish bulgogi-based broth which tasted plainer and complemented well with the pork collar slices, I enjoyed the Kimchi more which was close to an army stew – rich and hearty. Seorae (Jem)

Mukshidonna Singapore
Market Square @ Downtown East 1 Pasir Ris Close, E!Avenue #02-324 Singapore 519599
Tel: +65 63868562
Opening Hours: 11:30 am – 10:00pm Daily

Popular Korean Toppoki restaurant Mukshidonna from Korea has opened in Singapore, with its first outlet located at Downtown East, Pasir Ris.

The restaurant has also received its Halal certification, so Muslim friends can go to enjoy some Korean stew.

While Mukshidonna is commonly known to serve delicious Budae Jjigae (Army Stew), they have branded themselves as a “Toppoki” restaurant.

There is the option to customize your own pot, with 5 different flavors to choose from: Cheese, Mussels, Bulgogi, Sausages and Mushroom.

The basic tteokbokki base is priced $13.90 a portion, per pax. You can choose to mix-and-match, example one portion of cheese, another of mussels for a party of 2.

Unlike other army stew base, Mukshidonna’s mild spicy yet sweet signature sauce will thicken as it boils. Not exactly the same as the Korean outlet standard though. Mukshidonna Singapore (Pasir Ris)

The Gogi
Alexandra Central, 321 Alexandra Road #03-01 Singapore 159971
Tel: +65 6250 3119
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 3pm, 5:30pm – 10pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon

The Gogi at Alexandra Central is an authentic Korean BBQ restaurant, though the shop seems lonely because some of its neighbouring units are still unoccupied.

The Budae Jungol ($35 for M, $45 for L) Korean style army stew was packed with the usual ingredients of sausages, spam, tofu, mushroom, rice cakes and ramen noodles.

I liked that brand of noodles they were using (must find out the next time), though wished there was some kind of sliced meat somewhere.

Flavours wise, the intensity was somewhere in the middle, and marked a taste which is likely to be family-friendly.

Wang Dae Bak Korean BBQ Restaurant
Telok Ayer Conservation Area, 98 Amoy Street Singapore 069918
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2:30pm (Mon – Sat), 5:30pm – 10:30pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Another Branch at China Square Central #01-64, 22 Cross Street

Do not be alarmed if you cannot find “Army Stew” on Wang Dae Bak’s menu. This particular dish is called “Ham & Pork Noodle Soup” ($38++) over there.

”Same, same”, the waitress exclaimed. ”Top up $3 for more noodles, $3 for cheese, $3 for soup refill”

I imagined a stew that would be thicker and more savoury, theirs turned out to be rather watery, okay soupy with a sweet tinge. A lot of spam and sausages though – they know what Singaporeans want. But where’s my meat?

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