Miyeok-Guk (Korean Seaweed Soup)

Kelp, Wakame

Recipe by Maggie Moon, MS, RD

Miyeok, known as sea mustard or wakame, is the star of this simple soup. Koreans enjoy this soup on their birthdays because it’s one of the first foods given to new mothers. Enjoy it any day for its iodine, folate, trace minerals, and antioxidant content.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

9 cups water

14 large dried anchovies (about 3 inches each), heads and guts removed

2 pieces (about 3 x 4-inch) dried dasima (kelp)

1/2 cup loosely packed dried miyeok (wakame), coarsely chopped into 2-inch pieces

5 cloves garlic, peeled, minced

2 tablespoons gukganjang (Korean soy sauce), divided

Toasted sesame oil to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine water, trimmed anchovies, and dasima in a 3-quart pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove anchovies from broth and use for compost or another use. Remove and strain dasima, allowing to cool before slicing into 1-inch pieces, then set aside.

2. Add miyeok and garlic to the broth.

3. Add up to 1 tablespoon gukganjang, one teaspoon at a time, to achieve desired taste.

4. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir dasima back into the pot, and remove from heat.

5. To serve, divide soup evenly among 4 soup bowls. May add a few drops of sesame oil to each bowl to taste, if desired.

Notes

Dasima (Korean) is also sold as “kelp” (American) or “kombu” (Japanese).

Miyeok (Korean) is also sold as “sea mustard” (American) or “wakame” (Japanese).

This recipe is based on a dried miyeok that does not require soaking. If needed, soak in cold filtered water for 30 minutes, drain, squeeze, and rough chop into 2-inch pieces for the recipe.

Gukganjang is a variety of Korean soy sauce used to season soups and stews. It is lighter in color, less sweet, but saltier than basic soy sauce. It is sometimes sold as “soy sauce for soup” by Korean brands. If unavailable, use salt to taste.

Depending on the region of Korea, miyeok-guk can also include mussels, fish, tofu, or beef brisket, but it is not necessary. The essential ingredient is seaweed.

It is common to cut the cooked dasima into diamond (lozenge cut) shapes for visual appeal. To do so, cut the dasima into 1-inch long strips. Trim one of the short ends at a 45-degree angle. Then slice about an inch down at the same angle. Repeat as needed. Trimmed bits can also be added to the soup, or set aside for compost or another use.

Some preparation methods include stir-frying the miyeok and any added protein ingredients in sesame oil and gukganjang before adding broth, but the method presented here works just as well and is simpler.

Korean meals often start with a soup and it is only one of many elements that make up the meal.

To make this recipe vegan, omit anchovies. Step 1 can be made ahead, frozen for later use, or used as a base broth for other soups and stews.

Nutritional information (per serving):

13 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 496 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g total sugars, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein

Recipe Author

Maggie Moon, MS, RD, is owner of KimchiCurious.com and the best-selling author of The MIND Diet. Her focus is culturally humble food for optimal brain health.

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