Miyeokguk Recipe (Korean Seaweed Soup with Beef)

This miyeokguk serves two and takes about 1 hour, including 20 minutes of soaking. Dried miyeok (Korean seaweed) is soaked until soft, stir-fried with beef in sesame oil, then simmered in water seasoned with guk-ganjang (soup soy sauce). The key is to stir-fry the beef and seaweed first, then simmer until the seaweed is tender.

The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture records the custom of giving a new mother white rice and miyeokguk as her first meal after birth, and the practice of eating miyeokguk on birthdays. The same entry describes versions made with beef brisket or shank, and some made without meat.

Serve it with a bowl of steamed rice. For another Korean soup, see samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew).

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• Pot, at least 2 L (about 2 1/8 US qt), with a lid
• Bowl (for soaking)
• Kitchen scissors

1. Soak the seaweed in cold water for about 20 minutes, until it is soft.

   Dried miyeok (cut dried seaweed) About 10 g (0.4 oz)

2. Rinse the seaweed. Squeeze out the water. Cut long pieces into bite-size lengths.

3. Heat the sesame oil in the pot over low heat. Stir-fry the beef until the outside is no longer red.

   Beef brisket, cut for soup About 100 g (3.5 oz) · Sesame oil About 1 tbsp

4. Add the garlic, soup soy sauce and seaweed. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes.

   Minced garlic About 1/2 tbsp · Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) About 1 tbsp

5. Add the water. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes, until the seaweed is tender.

   Water About 700 ml (about 3 cups)

6. Check that the beef is cooked through. Taste the soup. Add salt or more soup soy sauce if needed.

   Salt A pinch · Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) More to taste, if needed

• The seaweed is soft and tender
• The beef is cooked through (optional check: the center of the thickest piece stays at or above 75°C (167°F) for at least 1 minute)
• The broth tastes seasoned but not too salty

Honghap miyeokguk (mussel version)

The encyclopedia records a form simmered with dried mussels.

Bajirak deulkkae miyeokguk (clam and perilla seed version)

In the recipe checked for this entry, clam meat is stir-fried after the seaweed, and ground perilla seeds are stirred in at the end.

Hwangtae miyeokguk (dried pollack version)

In the recipe checked for this entry, the hwangtae (dried pollack) does not go in as shreds; it is ground with its soaking water and disappears into the broth.

Oi naengguk (cold cucumber soup)

The recipe compared here uses the same soaked miyeok, but with cucumber, vinegar, sugar and cold water, and serves it cold without simmering.

• Korean Bapsang — Miyeok guk
• My Korean Kitchen — Korean seaweed soup
• Kimchimari — Miyeok gook
• Kim'C Market — All about Korean seaweed
• My Korean Kitchen — Cold cucumber soup
• Wtable — Beef miyeokguk (Korean)
• 10000recipe — Clam and perilla seed miyeokguk (Korean)
• Kim Jin-ok — Hwangtae miyeokguk (Korean)
• Encyclopedia of Korean Culture — Miyeokguk (Korean)
• MFDS — Cooking meat safely (Korean)
• USDA — Leftovers and food safety
• FoodSafety.gov — Cold food storage chart
• Sempio — Soup soy sauce ingredients
• Health Canada — Refined oils and allergens