Korean convenience stores keep pushing their ready meals further, and today’s pick is a great example: Emart24’s new cheese budae bokkeum meal, made in collaboration with Ttangs Budae-jjigae. Convenience stores have released plenty of budae bokkeum (army stew stir-fry) lunches before. What makes this one stand out is the tie-up with Ttangs Budae-jjigae, a takeout specialist for budae-jjigae. I’d been eyeing it because I often grab a quick meal at the Ttangs branch near my place, so I was curious how a convenience store version would taste and picked it up right away. Let’s take a closer look.
📋 At a Glance
- Product: Cheese Budae Bokkeum Meal (Ttangs Budae-jjigae collab)
- Store: Emart24
- Price: 5,300 won
- Calories: 659 kcal
- Weight: 409 g
- Sodium: 58% of the daily recommended intake
- Main components: Cheese budae bokkeum over udon, mini fried dumplings, macaroni corn salad, egg roll
- Verdict: ★4.0 — a convenience store budae bokkeum that nails the specialty-shop sauce!
Price and What Makes It Special
I’ve reviewed a lot of convenience store budae bokkeum over the years, and I’ve even made my own cheese budae bokkeum recipe. This time Emart24 released one in collaboration with Ttangs Budae-jjigae. There isn’t really a fancy concept behind it. Honestly, the collaboration itself is the concept, ha. The price comes in at 5,300 won.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netThe total weight is 409 g, with 659 kcal, and the sodium sits at about 58% of the daily recommended intake. The portion and calorie count run a touch higher than other meals in the same price range. Interestingly, though, for a budae bokkeum dish the sodium isn’t that high. I suspect the other side dishes are on the lighter side.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netBudae-jjigae and budae bokkeum meals have come out many times, but the only franchise collaboration I can recall was Nolboo Budae-jjigae. So this may well be the first budae bokkeum collab. On top of that, this Ttangs Budae-jjigae menu comes with a coupon you can actually use at the physical stores. Best of all, the win rate is said to be 100%, so it’s worth entering just for fun.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netWhat’s in the Meal
Let’s run through the components. Since this is a full meal rather than a single dish, the budae bokkeum comes with about three other side dishes. The rice portion is quite generous too, right? You definitely won’t run short on rice here.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netThe Main: Cheese Budae Bokkeum Over Udon
First up is the star, the budae bokkeum. Half a slice of cheddar sits on top, and the thick, glossy stir-fry actually looks pretty appealing. They say the sauce is exactly what Ttangs Budae-jjigae uses, so I was curious how it would taste once the cheese melted in. There seem to be a good number of sausages tucked in there too.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netOne surprise was the layer of pre-cooked udon noodles hidden beneath the stir-fry. I don’t think I’ve seen noodles included in a convenience store budae bokkeum before. When eating budae-jjigae most people reach for ramyeon noodles over udon. That said, half-cooked ramyeon tends to bloat or dry out quickly, so udon was probably the practical choice here.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netThe Side Dishes
As a full meal it comes with a few sides too. There are mini fried dumplings, a macaroni corn salad, and two pieces of egg roll. As I mentioned earlier, the reason the sodium stays low is probably that these sides aren’t the salty type.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netTaste Test: How Does It Actually Taste?
Time to dig in. I heated mine in a 1000 W microwave for 1 minute 50 seconds. Even after microwaving, the cheese looks like it hasn’t fully melted. But once you scoop deep enough to grab the udon underneath and mix it all together, it melts and blends right in.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netThe Specialty-Shop Flavor Comes Through
I lifted a piece of ham coated in the thick melted cheese and took a bite. I’ve tried plenty of other convenience store budae-jjigae, but the instant it hit my tongue that unmistakable Ttangs Budae-jjigae flavor came rushing in, that “ah, this is real budae bokkeum” feeling. Honestly, you won’t get it until you try it. It’s clearly different from those off-the-shelf sauces that are budae-jjigae in name only.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netScooping up the udon layered underneath along with the stir-fry was surprisingly good too. On its own the budae bokkeum might have been a bit intense, but eaten together with the noodles it clings to your palate nicely, and that kept me coming back for more.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netThe Sides Are for Balance
The other sides were the kind you nibble alongside the main. They aren’t completely unseasoned, but eaten together with the budae bokkeum they come across as rather mild. Whenever a bite felt a little too salty, popping one of them in worked nicely as a palate cleanser.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netI can’t say for sure whether the ham is the exact one used at Ttangs Budae-jjigae, but even though it wasn’t especially plentiful, it was still very tasty. Because it’s properly stir-fried with the budae-jjigae sauce, the spice and the savory depth land just right, making it a solid single meal.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netFinal Verdict
The overall makeup is fairly simple, and the sides are more “nice alongside” than special. Even so, despite how it looks, the balance is better than expected, making it a surprisingly satisfying single meal. If you’ve enjoyed the budae bokkeum lunches convenience stores have put out, this one might just be the ultimate version. For anyone visiting Korea, it’s an easy, hearty pick to try at any Emart24.
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Copyright PAKOC https://pakoc.netYou can read more about this Ttangs Budae-jjigae collaboration in this (Korean source) News1 report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much is the Emart24 cheese budae bokkeum meal?
It costs 5,300 won. The meal weighs 409 g and comes in at 659 kcal, so both the portion and calories are a bit more generous than similarly priced lunches.
Q. What’s inside the cheese budae bokkeum meal?
Under the main cheese budae bokkeum sits a layer of udon noodles, with half a slice of cheddar on top. On the side you get mini fried dumplings, a macaroni corn salad, and two pieces of egg roll.
Q. How does the cheese budae bokkeum taste?
The moment you take a bite, the signature Ttangs Budae-jjigae flavor comes through. Because it uses the real specialty-shop sauce rather than a generic one, the spice and savory depth stay well balanced, and mixing in the udon underneath softens the intensity into a filling meal.
Q. Are the random coupons worth it?
Every pack comes with a coupon you can use at actual Ttangs Budae-jjigae stores. The win rate is said to be 100%, so there’s no downside to entering just for fun.
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