Army stew with sausages and kimchi (Budae-jjigae)

1. Mix the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, grated garlic and sugar into a paste in a small bowl.

2. Cut the luncheon meat into 1 cm slices, the frankfurters diagonally into rounds, the tofu into thick slices, the onion into thin slices and the spring onion diagonally into 4 cm pieces; roughly chop the kimchi.

3. Arrange the ingredients side by side in groups in a wide, shallow pan: the luncheon meat, frankfurters, kimchi, tofu and onion, with the spice paste in the middle.

4. Pour in the water, bring to the boil over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes until the kimchi is soft and the broth is coloured and spicy.

5. Add the dried ramen noodles, lay the cheese slices on top and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the noodles are soft and the cheese melts into the broth; finally scatter over the spring onion.

6. Put the pan in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves into their own bowl, with rice.

Tip: Budae-jjigae was born after the Korean War, when canned meat and frankfurters from American bases went into the kimchi stew. Koreans consider the melted cheese essential – feel free to add an extra slice.