AI-generated image
Miyeok guk with beef
미역국: silky seaweed soup with beef brisket, the Korean birthday soup
Ask someone in Korea what they ate on their birthday morning and the answer is usually miyeok guk. The same soup is given to new mothers for weeks after a birth, as the seaweed is rich in iodine, calcium and iron. Some students avoid it on exam days, because slippery seaweed is said to make you 'slip' in the test. The broth is clear and mild, made with brisket fried in sesame oil and seasoned with soup soy sauce. Chef's tip: squeeze the soaked seaweed hard and fry it with the beef for a few minutes; it gives the broth a rounder, nutty taste.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Cover ½ oz dried miyeok (wakame seaweed) with plenty of cold water and soak for 10 minutes, until soft and swollen. Common mistake: soaking a big handful. Dried seaweed grows about ten times in size, and 15 g is plenty for four bowls.
10 minStep 2: Rinse the seaweed two or three times, squeeze out as much water as you can, and cut it into 4 to 5 cm pieces.
Step 3: Heat 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add 7 oz beef brisket and fry for 2 minutes, until the meat is no longer red on the outside.
2 minStep 4: Add the seaweed, 2 cloves garlic and half the 1 tbsp Korean soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the seaweed turns bright green and smells nutty.
2 minStep 5: Pour in 6 ¼ cups water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Skim off any grey foam.
4 minStep 6: Lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 12 minutes, until the beef is tender and the broth is pale and cloudy.
12 minStep 7: Season with the rest of the 1 tbsp Korean soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang), then ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp fish sauce to taste. Serve hot with rice and kimchi.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does miyeok guk with beef take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of toasted sesame oil?
- Toasted sesame seeds ground with a little vegetable oil.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Soto Banjar
Along the rivers of Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, breakfast often means soto Banjar eaten at a wooden riverside warung, sometimes after a dawn trip to the floating market. Unlike the turmeric sotos of Java, this broth is pale and clear, perfumed with the sweet spices that traders brought up the river centuries ago: cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom and nutmeg. Shredded chicken, glass noodles, carrot and a boiled egg go into the bowl with rice cakes, and lime and a little chilli sharpen it at the table. Chef's tip: toast the whole spices in the pan for a minute before the paste goes in; it brings out their sweetness without the dusty edge of ground spice.
Tteokbokki
Tteokbokki (떡볶이) is Korea's best-loved street snack: chewy cylinders of rice cake simmered in a thick, glossy, sweet and spicy red sauce. It became a classic in Seoul, where it is sold from street stalls and snack bars in every neighbourhood. Street versions use anchovy stock and fish cakes; this vegan version uses a quick kelp and shiitake stock with cabbage and spring onions, and has all the same punch. Eat it hot, while the rice cakes are soft and stretchy. Chef's tip: keep stirring and scrape the bottom; the rice cakes release starch that thickens the sauce but also catches. The sauce is right when it clings to the spoon in a glossy coat.
Miso soup
Miso soup (味噌汁) is drunk every day in homes all over Japan, at breakfast as well as dinner, beside a bowl of rice. The base is dashi; this vegan version uses kombu and dried shiitake instead of bonito, which gives it a deep, rounded flavour. Silken tofu and wakame seaweed are the classic fillings. It takes ten minutes; just remember not to boil the miso. Chef's tip: add the miso at the very end and never let it boil. Boiling kills the miso's fresh, fermented aroma; Japanese cooks say the soup should only 'smile', with the surface barely trembling.