(The other recipe in this video is miyeok-muchim – seaplant salad)
Miyeokguk is 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 and calcium and many people eat it to lower their cholesterol. The version of the soup is made with beef.
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. We all believe it’s good, healthy food.
I used to have a stereotype about people from another culture that they wouldn’t like miyeokguk. When I lived in Korea, I had a friend name 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. 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 (for 4-6 servings)
Directions
- Soak 1 cup of dried miyeok in a big bowl for at least 30 minutes. Drain and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Put the soaked miyeok (about 4 cups’ worth) into a big pot and add 16 cups of water. Boil over high heat for 20 minutes. Add more water if the soup gets too thick.
- Cut the beef brisket into bite size pieces. Add the beef and garlic to the pot and boil for another 20 to 25 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the fish sauce and drizzle a few drops of toasted sesame oil on top before serving.
- Serve with rice, if you have it. Put a few spoonfuls of rice (or the whole bowl) into the soup and eat.
Miyeokguk (beef is replaced with mussels)
Posted on Sunday, December 16th, 2007 at 10:47 pm.
Last updated on August 7, 2017.
Tagged: 미역, korean food, Korean recipes, korean seaweed dish, miyukguk, seaplant
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Ms Maangchi, I am a korean american in new jersey :) I love your videos and it has given me confidence in my korean cooking. Are you planning to make a new version of this miyuk gook video? just wondering :)
Good morning,
I made seaweed salad with ottogi seaweed. I do not think it came out good, so I would like to know if I can use it for your recipe to make seaweed soup with beef? Thank you.
Can you upload the photo of the seaweed?
Hi! I want to make it vegetarian way. How can I make it? Just follow the recipe and don’t add beef? Can I add some kelp?
It was Christmas and NYE and we had so much meat here I don’t want to see it :)))
Just add some shiitake-mushrooms, soaked in the water you use for the soup and cut into strips.
Bye, Sanne.
I always love your recipes so much, especially the stories that go along with them. Thank you for sharing :)
I’m having my first baby in February so I need to teach my partner to make this for me! How long can I keep the soup for after it’s made?
See full size image
Hallo from Indonesia,
Today, I just cooked myeok guk according to ur instruction. Oh my, it turned out so delicious, way better than what i’ve tasted in several korean resto here. Thank u so much for giving out so many detailed cooking steps. No other cooking teacher can do better than you.
I’ve tried the new braised baby potatoes recipe, simple kimchi, fried korean chicken, and sam gyeop sal… they all very tasty and become my family favourites.
So happy that you just released the cooking book as well. Good luck to you and wish success for years ahead
I’m glad to hear that you like this recipe! It sounds like you will be busy cooking Korean dishes for a while! : )
Hi
I tried cooking it today but my soup did not look as milky as yours. Is it because I did not add beef?
yes, if you like to make your soup more milky, stir fry miyeok with a little bit of sesame oil and then add water. The soup will turn milky. I prefer clear soup though.
What a wonderful soup! And I love the name “seaplant,” so much better than that other nasty name (weed).
And your 16th video posted on my birthday! Yay!
Hi i have a question. Instead of fish sauce what else can i use to replace that?
Thank you maangchi! I made this soup for my sister after my niece was born! It is yummy as is all your recipe! What would we do without you!
My husband turned out to be a bigger fan of Korean drama than me! His birthday is coming up soon so I’m very happy you posted this recipe. I want to surprise him with it and teach him the name as I sing out: 생일 축하합니다! Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Love this soup! I remember my mom making it when I was growing up and she made me a bunch of it after I gave birth.
I can understand why people wouldn’t like it b/c of the texture.
Going to try my hand at making my own batch!
I am Korean and miyuk gook is one of my favorite soups. I know your recipe calls for using beef brisket as the base for the soup, but do you think it would be good with oxtail broth too? Or is it too rich? I know I can use it to make dduk gook or kal gooksu, but wondering what you think about using it for miyuk gook too.
Thanks, Maangchi. I am so grateful for your website and introducing the rest of the world to the world’s best cuisne!
hai Maangchi,
seaweed and seaplant, is it the same thing? I used seaweed, and it’s turn so deliciously. thanks to you Maangchi, I had a great experience with korean food…. {^_^}
yes, they are the same. I tried to change the word from seaweed to sea plant or sea vegetable, but so many people have known it as seaweed. : )
Hello! I just made the seaweed salad at home. I used to always eat it and it’s so delicious! The thing is, I followed the instructions but I have a lot of liquid. Should I throw this liquid away or put it in the refrigerator and let the seaweed absorb the liquid? Thank you!
Yes, keep it in the fridge and enjoy it with juice.
hi, I want to make this Seaplant soup for my friend but I just want to know she’s delivery baby by surgery so can she eat this soup?
Yes, she can eat this soup, why not? : )
After I gave birth to each of my daughters, my mother made me huge amounts of seaweed soup. A lot of Koreans believe it’s one of the best foods for a new mother, especially one who’s breastfeeding.
What an incredibly satisfying soup! The beef/fish sauce work so well together. It’s a new family favorite. Maangchi, I love your videos because they give me the confidence to try a new recipe with unfamiliar foods. I am learning the Korean alphabet so I can read the labels when I go shopping.