MiYeok Guk is a popular Korean soup. Korean people can eat this soup anytime, but it is very popular for special days like birthdays, weaning days, etc. Sea mustard has good nutrition in it. According to Wikipedia, “In Oriental medicine, seaweed has been used for blood purification, intestinal strength, skin, hair, reproductive organs, and menstrual regularity.” So, it is a common practice in Korea that moms eat sea mustard soup after they birth their babies because Koreans believe that this sea mustard soup gives nutrition to both mom and baby through mom’s milk.
There is a funny superstition that some people consider seriously about sea mustard soup: The fresh or soaked sea mustard has a slippery surface. One Korean word for slippery is “미끄러지다,” which can imply that somebody will fall down. Some people try to not to eat sea mustard soup near an important testing day because they do not want to get bad luck from eating it – as to fall down, drop, or fail the test. I personally don’t believe it, but just wanted to share this humorous culture with you. This is a beef version of sea mustard soup, but you can use tuna can, clam, mushroom, or make it without any meat instead.
Yield: 2 Servings
Short Korean Lesson
- MiYeouk (미역) = Sea Mustard
- Guk (국) = Soup
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients
- ½ Cup Dried Sea Mustard (1 Cup Soaked or Fresh Sea Mustard)
- ⅓ Cup Beef
- 3 Cups Water
Meat Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Soup Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Pinch Black Pepper
Seasoning Ingredients
- ½ Generous Tbsp Minced Garlic
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ½ Tbsp Sesame Oil
- ½ Tbsp Soup Soy Sauce
Directions
Soak ½ cup of dried sea mustard for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the sea mustard will look like this, and it will be about 1 cup now.
Cut the soaked sea mustard into bite sized pieces.
In a pan, fry ⅓ cup of chopped beef. Add 1 Tbsp of soup soy sauce, 1 tsp of sesame oil, and 1 pinch of black pepper.
Fry it until the beef is almost cooked on medium high.
Add the sea mustard and ½ Tbsp of sesame oil.
Fry it for about 3 minutes on high until the beef is completely cooked.
Pour 3 cups of water in the pan.
Once it starts to boil, add ⅛ tsp of salt and ½ Tbsp of soup soy sauce. Taste it, and adjust the taste with salt or soup soy sauce if needed. I usually use soup soy sauce rather than salt. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-high.
5 minutes later, add ½ generous Tbsp of minced garlic.
Cook for another 5 minutes and then turn off the heat.
Try this healthy and delicious Korean sea mustard soup someday. How about on your birthday? Thank you!
Jihee says
April 6, 2014 at 5:33 PMThere’s the seaweed soup with clams too right? How much do I put in if I want to use clams instead of beef?
Aeri Lee says
April 11, 2014 at 11:46 AMhi Jihee,
You are right. You can use clams too. If your clams are just clams without the shells.. you can use the similar amount of the beef in this recipe. If you have shells… about 1 cup can be enough for this recipe. Depends on how much you like clams.. you can always put more for your taste too.
eh lee says
March 27, 2014 at 10:14 AM시댁식구들 줄 레시피 찾다가 여길 찾게 되었어요~~~
스크랩해서 가져가고 싶은데 가능할까요?
설명도 잘되있구 레시피도 잘되있구 번역할 필요없이 시댁식구들 줄수 있게되서
넘감사드려용 ^^
Aeri Lee says
April 20, 2014 at 5:42 AMhi eh lee,
안녕하세요. 반갑습니다. 시댁분들이 저처럼 외국분들이신가봐요. 네 당연히 스크랩해서 주셔두 돼죠.
미리 물어봐 주셔서 감사합니다. 시댁분들이 맛있게 드셨음 좋겠네요. 자주뵈요. ^^
Liza says
April 30, 2013 at 9:58 PMAeri 언니! So sorry to be a bother but I have yet another question. If we use beef, what part of the beef are we supposed to use? I have beef, but the meat I have is SOO chewy and tough. Do I have to use 안심? Or is there a way to tenderize the meat? The beef is in a block so I can’t even find the grain! 감사합니다! 🙂
Aeri Lee says
May 12, 2013 at 4:32 PMhi Liza,
It will be good to use some part good for soup or stew.. I like brisket for my soup.. you can use tenderloin or sirloin also.
Dean says
April 8, 2013 at 7:53 PMHello!
I made this today, but I substituted soup soy sauce with Vietnamese fish sauce because I didn’t have any on hand. Though the sauce gave off a strong smell when I cooked it, the soup actually turned out great! For those who don’t like the fishy smell– maybe adding some fresh ginger slices on top will help?
I will try making this soup again with real soup soy sauce to compare the taste. Thank you for sharing this recipe! 🙂
Dean says
April 9, 2013 at 8:49 PMOh. I also don’t recommend frying the fish sauce. It leaves a very strong smell in the house. 😳 Instead, I would just add it when I pour in the water.
sherine says
November 8, 2012 at 8:21 AMhow do I do it if I use can tuna??? helppp ><
Aeri Lee says
November 8, 2012 at 5:54 PMhi sherine,
Just fry the soaked mustard seaweed first and add the tuna and water later..and cook ^^ that’s it.
sherine says
November 8, 2012 at 11:50 PMhope you’re feeling well with the baby^^one more month left I can’t wait!!!
lengleng says
July 7, 2012 at 8:49 PMHi Aeri,
can the beef be replaced with chicken or pork ?
Aeri Lee says
July 17, 2012 at 4:03 PMhi lengleng ,
Personally i prefer beef than chicken or pork..but yes you can use them also. 🙂
Haejee Kim says
February 6, 2011 at 12:57 PMHi Aeri!! I found your website while looking for Korean food recipes, and yours is so clear and easy to follow~~ it was a major success!! Thank you so much 🙂 I am now on an Aeriskitchen cooking spree! KamSa HaeYo!