MiYeok Guk (미역국) 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!
i wish i knew about this soup when i gave birth to my kids. maybe i should have another baby…..NOT!! 😉
is this seaweed the same as the kelp?
Hi, farleen
haha.. my funny friend lareen. 🙂
You can make it for your kids.. or for yourself and husband on birthday. 😉 I like to eat the soup mix with rice and eat with kimchi..oh~~~ so delicious ~~~ hehe..
haha.. kelp ?? oops.. totally different from kelp.. I need to explain more about seaweed someday. 🙂 Thanks !!
seaweed soup is my favourite too, especially the one my mum made. it’s very high in iodine, perhaps it’s one of the reasons it’s included in mummies’ post natal diet.
Hi, layping
Yep.. you are right ^^
Your mom must be a very good cook. mom’s food is the best…thanks !! have a good week !!!
This looks absolutely fantastic! I have concentrated so much on Western style soups that I have missed all but the basic Asian recipes. I should really pay more attention to them, as they are such a different experience.
Also, I find Korean cuisine is so under-appreciated; it tends to be overshadowed by Chinese and Japanese cooking styles, which is a shame.
Hi, Erik
Thank you very much for your comment. Seriously, it’s amazing to meet people who love Korean food and cultures. I’m so blessed to meet some of them through my blog like you. Yes, I really hope that Korean food and cultures will be spread to the world more. Thanks again ~ Have a good week ~~
저 오늘아침에 만들어서요^^ 맛있다 ㅋㅋㅋ
Hi, meo
haha..really ?? good to hear that you enjoyed your soup. Thanks 🙂 Try some other recipes too someday. Bye~~
Hi Aeri! I’ve just found your youtube videos and really enjoy them! I really want to try this for my mom’s own birthday coming up next month. My mom never taught me how to cook it, so I think it’ll be a great surprise for her!
Hi, Laura
Nice to meet you !!!
I’m happy that you found my videos. Oh~~ that’s very sweet idea.. your mom will be very happy and proud of you. Of course, my recipe can’t be compared with your mom’s delicious seaweed soup..she will still proud of you. Thanks !! 🙂
Miyouk soup is great!!! I love it.
Hi, Maria
Haha… I agree.. I love it too. Thanks !!:)
Will this recipe work with chicken breast?
Hi, Stephanie
Since I got a question from you, I researched how it will taste like.. people said.. chicken is also good for this soup. It seems like..the way to make it is a little different from beef though.. thanks !!
Hi Aeri I Love Miyuk But For How Much Time I Can Store Dried Miyuk….??
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Hi, Nishu
Oh~~ that’s great that you love miyuk..that’s really good for you. You can store quite a long time.. if you want to keep it more than 6 months… I recommend you to keep them in the freezer.. Keep them in the freezer bag and keep.. 🙂 thanks !!
Hi Aeri:
Thank you so much for the detailed recipes. For the seaweed soup, is that ground beef or just beef you chopped by hand?
Hi, omlig
Typically.. we cut the beef by hand…but as you can see.. I didn’t have chunk of the beef when I posted this recipe..and used some ground beef I had.. it worked pretty good..so why not..hehe you can use whatever you have.. 😉 thanks !!!
Thank you for the recipe! It’s turned out to be almost exactly how my mom used to make it!!!! I used “stew meat” from Costco and cut it to tiny cube sizes and it worked out really well. 🙂
Hi, Dexter
That’s great.. I always think that mom’s food is the best…. so I feel very honor that you think my recipe is close to your mom’s thanks for trying it. 🙂
Hi Aeri, i tried this soup last saturday. it was so delicious. Thank u…I bought all of ingredients from market. I bought brown rice vinegar for this, is it same as cooking wine? In mongolia, korean dish is more popular. I love your site.
Hi, GG
oops.. brown rice vinegar is vinegar.. different from cooking wine ^^:; If you don’t have cooking wine.. you can skip it..but anyway.. you enjoyed your soup.. that’s more important thing right ?? hehe thanks !!! visit us more often . 🙂
I followed your method for seaweed soup today(actually drinking a cup right now), using beef stock and sweating some sliced onion with a can of albacore tuna in place of the meat. It was fantastic!
Oh, the only cooking wine styles I have are mirin and chinese(the dark one)… I figured the chinese would work best.
Hi Linda,
I don’t know exactly about Chinese cooking wine..but I’ve used Japanese mirin..and it seems work for Korean food. ^^
Hi Linda,
You did a good job to make a seaweed soup with your version. Yes, some people like to put can of tuna for this soup too. 🙂 drinking a soup was kind of funny..hehe thanks !!!
hi Linda,
Yep.. you can skip the cooking wine.. instead.. to make the meat tender.. don’t cook it on high..when you fry it at first.. thanks 🙂
hi..i was wonder if i can skip the cooking wine..or subsituting it with something
hi ayumi,
Yep.. you can skip it.. ^^ don’t worry about it. thanks
i just make my first seaweed soup ever, i followed your recipe and it was delicious. thank you
hi Karen,
ASSA !! good job..hehe thanks 🙂
Is there any ingredient that can change with Cooking Wine..which non-alcohol..thanks..
hi Rina,
I will just say.. SKIP it.. it’s okay without it. thanks 🙂
Aloha Aeri,
Just made this miyouk guk for my daughter who just had a baby one week ago–she and her friends loved it! Thank you for such an easy recipe to make such a healthy soup.
Mahalo, Corliss
hi csyama,
Wow, congratulations!!! Your daughter and grandchild are healthy right? Yes, this soup is good for mom who had delivery and does breast feeding. Thanks for sharing good news. 😀
um on your recipe it has just mention a “cup of beef” is there a part of beef i have use in typicular?
hi Andy,
You can use any kinds of you want.. but if you want my suggestion…
I will say.. brisket, shank, or rump round for soup.. or stew.. ^^
I love your blog. we grew up having zhi choi seaweed ( purplish light texture) in soup with porks liver. I’m inspire to make your version, is it Wakame you used?
Thank you,
CookNg Sisters
Hi lisa ng,
Nice to meet you.
Yes, you are right. I used wakeme for this recipe. Thank you. 😀
Thanks Aeri! Besides the beef (I plan to add beef) but can I also add clams?
Just one more question. I want to make teokBokKi but I don’t half that stiff kelp to make the broth. Can I use the same seaweed (we call it wakame) to flavor the broth? The Korean store sells the kelp but they’re in huge packages that would last me 10 life times!
hi Bo,
You are welcome.
We usually use either beef or clam.. sometimes tuna from can…dried shrimp.. without any other meat.. but not mixed different kinds of meat..
however you can add some clams if you want.. 😀
I will say just skip the kelp.. the other seaweed will not work for substituting kelp.. thanks
I just made my first pot of miyeok guk using your recipe!!!!!! I had this, rice, and kkakdugi (also your recipe) for lunch…I haven’t felt so good and like a real Korean in a long time 🙂
Thank you so much!!
hi Elizabeth,
That’s great. thanks 🙂
Wow~ I just found out ur blog today 😀 The recipe’s so great, thanks u ^^~
hi Silchan,
nice to meet you. 🙂 Thanks
I’m going to make this for my niece when she gives birth. This is the soup Koreans eat to bring the milk?
hi Bo,
Oops, sorry for late reply. @.@
Yes, we eat this soup a lot after having baby. We also eat this for birthday.
Hi, Aeri!
I’m from Romania and I love korean food.
I can wait to try this recipe. If I change the beef with tuna can, the method will be the same?
Thanks for all the recipies! 🙂
hi ramona,
The method will be a little different.
Soak the seaweed..and cut..and fry them sesame oil..and add water.. boil like my recipe..season the broth with soup soy sauce ..minced garlic and salt.. and when it’s almost done cooking.. add the can of tuna with a little bit of oil from the can… boil for 1 or 2 minutes on high..and done..
I did the soup today, it was good, but didn’t taste like I imagined it to be. Maybe I have wrong soy-sauce, that makes is taste differently or the meat makes it so different, because i used a mixed chopped meat (I think it is a beef and a pig meat mix).
I will try next time again and maybe it will taste then like in Korea.:D
I think it was my first time eat 미역국 with meat. But all the recipes in Internet have also meat.
Could I make it without the meat? What do I have to change then in the recipe?
I really love your page ^^
hi 필비,
There are different kinds of 미역국… you can add.. dried shrimp… tuna from can,… clams… mussels… no meat… etc…
the way to make the soup is basically almost same.. just different ingredients… and many time to cook the meat will be different.. without meat.. you might need some seasoning to give it some flavor .. like dashida (beef stock powder), garlic powder, salt… etc.. I tried the soup without any meat and just the seaweed… salt.. garlic and Sempio YounDoo ..it was pretty good..
you can check the product..if you have that in a korean store around you..
http://aeriskitchen.com/2010/12/sempio-youndoo/
thanks
hi 🙂
will it be alright if i use chicken or pork instead of beef as my friend doesn’t consume beef.
will the taste of the soup be different if i changed the meat?
how do i prepare the chicken or pork if i were to use them instead of beef?
will it be alright to not use any meat instead?
will the taste be very different?
how do i prepare the soup if i choose not to use meat?
do i just prepare it as stated above but minus out the beef part? (do i need to add any other stuff if i were to choose not to use meat)
sorry for asking so many questions as this is my first time trying to cook this soup 🙂
thanks alot~! ^o^
hi wei lin,
yes.. you can use different kinds of meat.. clams are good too..
but the taste will be changed..
There are different kinds of 미역국… you can add.. dried shrimp… tuna from can,… clams… mussels… no meat… etc…
the way to make the soup is basically almost same.. just different ingredients… and many time to cook the meat will be different.. without meat.. you might need some seasoning to give it some flavor .. like dashida (beef stock powder), garlic powder, salt… etc.. I tried the soup without any meat and just the seaweed… salt.. garlic and Sempio YounDoo ..it was pretty good..
you can check the product..if you have that in a korean store around you..
http://aeriskitchen.com/2010/12/sempio-youndoo/
thanks
Hi 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!
Hi Aeri,
can the beef be replaced with chicken or pork ?
hi lengleng ,
Personally i prefer beef than chicken or pork..but yes you can use them also. 🙂
how do I do it if I use can tuna??? helppp ><
hi sherine,
Just fry the soaked mustard seaweed first and add the tuna and water later..and cook ^^ that’s it.
hope you’re feeling well with the baby^^one more month left I can’t wait!!!
Hello!
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! 🙂
Oh. 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.
Aeri 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! 🙂
hi 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.
시댁식구들 줄 레시피 찾다가 여길 찾게 되었어요~~~
스크랩해서 가져가고 싶은데 가능할까요?
설명도 잘되있구 레시피도 잘되있구 번역할 필요없이 시댁식구들 줄수 있게되서
넘감사드려용 ^^
hi eh lee,
안녕하세요. 반갑습니다. 시댁분들이 저처럼 외국분들이신가봐요. 네 당연히 스크랩해서 주셔두 돼죠.
미리 물어봐 주셔서 감사합니다. 시댁분들이 맛있게 드셨음 좋겠네요. 자주뵈요. ^^
There’s the seaweed soup with clams too right? How much do I put in if I want to use clams instead of beef?
hi 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.
I made this for my daughter’s birthday today. Yes, she was born on New Year’s Day! I like to eat the seaweed as an extra vegetable so I ate it with bulgogi and stir-fried veg and rice. xxxx
^^ What a special new year baby you had.. I hope you started an awesome 2024 !! Stay healthy and happy.. love you my friend..