Miyeok Guk (Beef Seaweed Soup)

Name: Miyeok Guk (Beef Seaweed Soup)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1.5 ounces dried miyeok (yields about 3 cups soaked); 6 ounces beef (stew meat or brisket); 2 teaspoons minced garlic; 2 tablespoons soup soy sauce (gukganjang, 국간장) (If unavailable, use 1 T regular soy sauce and season with salt to taste); 1 tablespoon sesame oil; salt and pepper; 10 cups water

Published 12/09/2013. Updated 04/21/2021

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A staple soup made with miyeok (aka wakame) is delicious and nutritious! It’s most common to make this soup with beef. It’s briny and delicious!

If I had to name my favorite soup, it would be miyeokguk (미역국). I make it 2 to 3 times a month, eat it for a couple of meals and then freeze the rest to eat again later. I love the briny flavor of miyeok (aka wakame) and its slightly chewy, slippery texture.

Miyeok is a sea vegetable (edible seaweed). Miyeok guk is typically made with dried miyeok, which is a staple in Korean homes.

As I explained in my miyeok guk with mussels post, this staple soup also is the soup that new moms eat for the first few weeks after giving birth because of the nutrients contained in miyeok that help with recovery and the production of breast milk.

In Korea, this soup is part of the hospital diet for new moms. If you’re in America, your Korean mother (or mother-in-law) probably brought a big insulated jar of it to the hospital to feed you after your childbirth.

Because of this soup’s association with childbirth, it’s also a Korean tradition to eat this soup on birthdays.

How to make miyeokguk?

Here, I made it with beef. See my Honghap Miyeokguk for a seafood version.

There are two common ways to make a Korean beef soup base. The method I used here is the quicker method. The thinly sliced beef is seasoned with soup soy sauce and sautéed before being boiled in water.

The other method boils the big chunk of meat with aromatic vegetables for a long time until tender. The meat is then shredded and added to the soup. I often use the latter method for a deeper flavor when I have time. See my tteokguk recipe for instructions for making the beef broth using the longer method.

For Korean beef soups, brisket (양지머리, yangjimeori) is the best cut to use. While the brisket takes longer to cook than some other cuts, the resulting broth is much more flavorful. You can certainly use a different cut of beef.

Tips for making miyeok guk

You can find dried miyeok at Korean markets or on-line sources. Look for the ones with a deep, dark green hue.
Dried miyeok comes in different types and sizes. Most of them are pretty clean these days so it doesn’t require more thorough cleaning we used to do in the past. Some are even ready to use pre-cleaned and pre-cut so you can use it simply after soaking for a couple of minutes.
Do not soak the seaweed too long. You’ll lose some of the seaweed flavor. 10 to 20 minutes should be sufficient, but check the package instructions for soaking time.
Take the time to boil the soup for the specified time for the depth of flavor.
Miyeok guk freezes well if you have any leftover soup.

More recipes made with miyeok

Miyeok guk with mussels
Miyeok muchim (sweet and sour seaweed salad)
Oi naengguk (chilled cucumber soup with seaweed)

For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.