Korean cuisine has many different styles of seaweed soup. In my hometown, they make it with fresh fish, but this version uses beef brisket. The broth for this soup is light and savory, and the dried seaweed, which is soft yet chewy, adds a touch of ocean flavor. Because miyeok is rich in iodine and calcium, the soup is ideal for nursing mothers after childbirth. Many new moms eat it for a full month after delivery, for the health of their child as well as their own. That is why we Koreans also call it “birthday soup” and traditionally eat it with rice on our own birthdays
SERVES: 2 or 3
INGREDIENTS:
- ¾ ounce (about 1 cup) dried seaweed (miyeok)
- 7 cups water
- 8 ounces beef brisket or skirt steak, chopped into small pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce or Korean soup soy sauce, preferably homemade
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Soak the dried seaweed in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain, and coarsely chop.
- Combine the seaweed and the 7 cups water in a large saucepan, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes.
- Add the beef and garlic and boil for another 20 minutes.
- Add the fish sauce and boil for a few minutes more.
- Remove the soup from the heat, stir in the sesame oil, and serve immediately.
