THE media has been gushing about the invasion of Korean pop culture and food.

TANGY: The 'Johnson Tang' soup is served with an array of starters and appetisers. PICTURE: MAKANSUTRA

And there I was, attending the Asian Journalists Association's annual gathering in Korea two weeks ago, with a research paper on the internationalisation of Asian food, particularly the host country's.

So I shall throw my hat into the ring and tell you all about one wonderfully strange yet familiar-in-concept dish I had on my trip to Seoul.

Our minders knew of my reputation - I understand people and cultures, remember faces and places through their makan. Don't laugh, it's true and it works for me.

The delegates, from lands like Bhutan, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and even Brazil, lined up for real Korean meals like bibimbap (rice in stone bowls with vegetables, kimchi and tofu) and bulgogi (grilled beef set meals).

When I had some free time, my only request was that they don't feed me with stuff I can get in our Koreanised Singapore or things I have seen on TV which did not impress me. 'And please, no tourist should be in sight,' I added.

So Jesse Kim, a hip-hop concert organiser, who volunteered to be an organiser and my food guide, took me to an obscure lane behind the Itaewon chill-out and shopping district.

What little English there had been on stall signs on the main road disappeared.

The humble little shop we came to had tatami-style seating and a full view of the kitchen.

The lady boss offered no smile, even after she took away my reference copy of our Makansutra guide book in exchange for allowing me to photograph the place.

Good deal, I suppose, for a meal I had never come across before - budae jigae, a stew made with kimchi and leftovers from the US military bases nearby. It is nicknamed Johnson Tang (soup), after former US President Lyndon B Johnson.

This 'fusion' kimchi stew came in an iron wok pot and was coloured bright orange and had chunks of kimchi bubbling alongside sausage slices, fresh cabbage and a piece of melted cheese - or whatever the US army kitchen could not finish.

Budae jigae can sometimes include spam or slices of ham.

The pot came with the usual lineup of appetisers that included pickled sotong slices and black beans.

My first chomp of the stew reminded me of the Eurasian debal or Devil's Curry - spicy but not overly so, tangy and savoury and the sausages with melted cheese in the kimchi stew felt as strangely likeable as perhaps durian on pizza.

It does not taste as complicated as it sounds. If you have kimchi and sausages lying around, try this Johnson Tang for four or five:

200g of red kimchi

Chopped garlic

2 teaspoons of Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

3 pieces of pan-grilled sausages

2 chicken wings

1 litre of chicken or pork stock

200g of cabbage leaves

2 slices of sandwich cheese

2 small limes (or white vinegar)

You can also include tofu and button mushrooms.

Fry a spoonful of garlic with the Gochujang till fragrant and add the litre of stock. Bring to a light boil and add the cut chicken wings, kimchi and cut sausages (with tofu and button mushrooms if you like).

Let it simmer for about 15 minutes and then add the cabbage to cook for three minutes (do not overcook till soft and mushy).

Season with salt and 11/2 teaspoons of lime juice, and finally, place two slices of cheese on top and serve, as it melts.

Use a mustard and tomato ketchup dip. Serve with rice or add instant noodles to the stew.