Intensify soups and stews

Kimchi may offer more depth to your broth or base in soups and stews in the same way that it gives sauces and marinades taste, balance, and brightness. Although kimchi is used in many traditional Korean soups and stews, budae-jjigae, or army stew, a fiery South Korean soup, is the most well-known (via NPR). The hearty, red stew combines Spam and kimchi once more as a nod to its origins during the Korean War.

In order to prepare this flavorful mixture of spices, noodles, Spam, sausage, beans, corn, and green vegetables after the war, the Koreans would occasionally use the U.S. Army supplies that had been stolen from military installations or given to them by the soldiers. The meal has various variations and monikers, but regardless of its name, this iconic stew is an integral component of Korean culinary tradition.