Miyeokguk is a soup made of edible seaweed and is traditionally eaten on birthdays or after giving birth, although you can eat anytime you like. Miyeok is rich in iodine, iron, and calcium and many people eat it to lower their cholesterol. This version of the soup is made with beef, which is the most popular type.
Whenever I meet my mother, she recommends I eat more miyeok and shows me how much she enjoys it by making all kinds of soups and salads with it. She also makes a miyeok wrap with rice and sauce and pops it into her mouth. Koreans all believe it’s good, healthy food, which is why Korean mothers who give birth will eat miyeokguk 3 meals a day for a month to recover fast and regain their strength and nutrients. Mom should stay home and look after her new born baby and her own health, and lay down on the traditional Korean heated floor (ondol) to sweat out the bad stuff and eat healthy miyeokguk.
This is why Koreans will have a bowl of miyeokguk for breakfast on their birthday, all their lives. They think about their mom to thank her for bringing them into this world. Korean spas serve miyeokguk in their cafeterias because the heated floors of the spa reminds people of the healthy, resting, relaxing time of recovering from childbirth at home.
When I lived in Korea, I had a friend named Jeanne, an American nun who had been living in Korea for more than 35 years. She always told me how she loved Korea and how it was her adopted hometown! She loved all kinds of Korean traditional food. Of course she could speak Korean just like a Korean.
She said: “There’s one Korean food that I don’t like.”
I asked: “What is it?”
She said: “Miyeokguk.”
I couldn’t help laughing because I expected some kind of weird Korean food, not miyeokguk, our everyday healthy, delicious food. I was curious about why she didn’t like it. She answered: “It’s slippery in my mouth, ooh, I don’t like the texture.” I laughed again when I heard this.
I hope she’s doing well now. She must be living in somewhere in Chicago. I used to tease her: “Miss Jeanne, would you sit over here?” when we met at the coffee shop. I always wanted her to sit next to me!
Ingredients
Serves 2 to 3
- ½ ounce (16 grams) dried miyeok, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
- 8 cups of water
- 1 pound beef brisket or skirt steak, cut into thin and small pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fish sauce (or salt and soy sauce to your taste)
- 2 teaspoon toasted toasted sesame oil
Seaweed before soaking
Seaweed after soaking
Directions
- Rinse and drain the miyeok. Squeeze out excess water. Cut a few times into bite-size pieces. If you have an electric rice cooker this is a good time to start cooking your rice, too.
- Transfer the miyeok to a large and heavy pot. Add 8 cups of water. Cover and bring it to a boil for about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Turn down the heat to medium. Add the beef, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and fish sauce. Cook another 10 minutes, or until the beef is tender and the broth is savory.
- Stir-in the sesame oil. Ladle into bowls and serve with a bowl of warm rice and Korean side dishes like kimchi. The soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
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Can i use apple vinegar for salad
yes, you can! thank you!
Hey Maangchi!!
What about Soaking overnight??
I would know how many sea plants do Koreans use, and how long it is necessary to boil it. Once I eat some very thin and it was without any cooking….
Thank, your recipes are great.
I’ve had a cold miyuk soup (as banchan). It had thinly sliced cucumbers, a little imitation crab, with a tangy taste to it. Do you know what I’m talking about? I hope so because I hope you can teach me how to make it!
You can modify the recipe (miyuk muchim) to make your own seaplant soup. The restaurant owner must have invented it.
You Should Fry Beef & Miyeok First.
I sometimes make my miyeokguk that way, but I prefer clear soup. I followed my grandmother and my mother’s recipe. You should try it out. Someday I will post the miyeokguk recipe that you mention. Thanks!
Anonymous,
Don’t worry much about it. Dried miyeok never goes bad if you seal it airtightly.
Q1. After Opening The Pack of Miyeok For How Many Days I can Store It..?
Mei Leng,
Thank you very much! Of course the information will be big help!
Hi Maangchi,
I have left the address and directions to get to Korea Town in the forum, hopefully it will be helpful. The ahjushi and ahjuma in the grocery stores were nice and helpful. I just tell them the ingredients in Korean (e.g. doenjang, miyuk, dduk, etc) and they will get them for me. They were happy to know that I was trying to cook Korean dishes!:)
Mei Leng,
you made beautiful miyukguk (sea plant soup)! The color of miyuk looks very green!
By the way, if you can, please leave the address of the Korean grocery store in Kuala Lumpur here.
https://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/where-do-you-buy-your-korean-ingredients/page/2
Hi Maangchi, it’s been quite a while since I wrote a comment here. Just wanted to let you know that I went to Koreatown Ampang, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and bought lots of Korean food ingredients from the Korean grocery store! :) I made Miyuk Guk; it was very comforting especially when you’re having a cold: http://www.meilengloh.com/?p=403
Martha,
Why don’t you use salt instead of soy sauce?
Hi Maangchi,
Can you do miyuk muchim that do not use soy sauce as the dressing? I tasted some in the Korean Restaurant here as ban chan but it is sort of sweet(seems like clear dressing). I searched the internet but found none that use clear dressing. It would be good if you know as I like the refreshing and slightly sweet taste but don’t know how to make it.
Thanks.
regards,
Martha from Hoju.
Dominique,
Yes, you can use chicken or anchovy stock instead of beef. If you like milky color soup, do this way.
In a heated pot, put 1 tbs sesame oil and then put soaked and chopped miyeok(sea plant) and saute for a few minutes, then pour water into the pot. You will see the color of soup will change to milky color. (you can use washed rice water, too)
I like clear soup, so I don’t use the method.
Hi Maanchi,
Thankyou for your delicious receipe! I’ve made seaweed soup so many time but this was the first time it turned out so well! (My sister in law also gave me a tip to use washed rice water to make the soup appear milky).
Just a few questions –
– Is it possible to use chicken instead of beef?
– CanI use anchovy stock?
Thankyou so much!
Confused student,
hi, clams, mussels, or oysters are all tasty for miyukguk (seaplant soup). Don’t forget to soak the clams in salty water for an hour and rinse them before putting in the boiling soup. The reason for soaking them in salty water is to let them spit up some grit.
Dear Maangchi,
I’ve made beef miyukgook many times but am a little confused as to making clam miyukgook. Any tips?
thanks maangchi! ur the best!
Hi, Anonymous,
Yes, you can use the frozen seaplant. Soak it in cold water and use it just like dried sea plants.
I was wondering if you ever use the frozen seaweed or sea plant they sell or do you use just the dried one?
Thanks so much for your website and videos – They are SO helpful and informative. I also like reading your stories that go with the dishes. Cooking is loving and loving is living!!
Maangchi:
How’s sunny Manhattan weather doing to you? Good luck and welcome again… it will take a while just to figure out the subway commuting. But priority is finding a good korean grocer for whipping up all the goodies! I have good luck with the soup. awesome! they’re very healthy and very tasty. i cracked a fresh egg before i ate and put more sesame oil and black pepper. i haven’t got dried anchovies from korean grocer online so i used the italian anchovies. it’s really good… i will make this often especially in winter. it’s definitely a good warm soup and not fattening at all.
thanks for sharing.
cloud
Hannah,
Yes, haechomuchim sold in a package is different from miyuk. I like the texture of haechomuchim when I chew it. Thank you for your question.
Hi maangchi, it’s me again. I went back to the supermarket and read the label, and it was called “hae cho” instead of “mi yuk” salad. So it was a completely different seaweed right? Because it was very bright green, instead of dark colored.
I was searching for a recipe on how to make Korean tofu stew, and found your site. I am so happy, I have been searching a complete Korean recipes for a long time. Now I do not have to always go to restaurants to feed my craving for Korean food any more.
I am from China, Korean food and Chinese food share some similarities, but there are subtle difference. I have been searching good recipes from Korean people for a long time :)
I am so happy.
This is a wonderful site!!
Kai
hannah,
Is the miyuk salads (miyuk muchim) that you made? It looks great!
I think you bought right miyuk. If it is too chewy, I think you should soak it longer before making the dish.
I made it today. It’s very much like what I had! Except what I bought from the supermarket was very stringy, like in little thin strips. And the texture was crunchy. Did I buy the wrong miyuk?
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8451/crim0005wh7.jpg
Hannah,
oh,I’m glad to hear that you found the recipe you want. yes, let me know hot it turns out when you make it. Thanks,
Hi Maangchi,
I think this is the recipe I was looking for. I will try it sometimes soon and come back to tell you if it was the right thing. Thanks ^_^
I am a white American, and I love Miyuk guk. :-)
hi, anonymous,
The brand name of the soysauce I am using is called “Samepyo Jingaan Jaang”(Samepyo soysauce). And any brand name of sesame oil will be ok.
Happy holidays!
Hi, i love your videos and i’m a big fan of Korean food. I wanted to know what kind of soy sauce you used and sesame oil?
thank you
I made Mi Yuk Guk last night with dired anchovies and silken tofu.
Yeah! Finally I used up all the ever lasting My Yuk!
All these years, I tried to achive the taste of authentic mi yuk guk by using a lot of garlic, korean kan jang, little fish da shi da, or even MSG… just never tasted like what I had made by Korean A Ju Ma.
At last, I did it! The taste that I missed!
Thank you for revealing the secret of Mi Yuk Guk– fish sauce.
Hi, ami,
Thank you very much! I am very happy about your compliment now. : )
Hi!
I randomly ran into your site after a google search for tteokbokki. This is the best Korean recipes site I ever found. Thanks for all the detailed and beautiful clips ^_^
I wish you the best.