Seaweed soup with beef

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Turn down the heat to medium. Add the beef, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.
4. Stir in garlic and fish sauce. Cook another 10 minutes, or until the beef is tender and the broth is savory.
5. 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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