Miyeok Guk Instructional Guide WRD 204

Miyeok Guk, or seaweed soup in English, is a traditional Korean meal that is served on birthdays and for postpartum mothers. This ritualistic meal is not only incredibly tasty, it also offers great nutritional benefits like calcium, iodine and omega acids all while being low in calories.

Ingredients:

0.5 oz of sliced dried seaweed

4 oz of round steak

¼ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

5 cups of water

1 cup of white rice

Cooking Supplies:

2 medium sized bowls

1 medium sized pot

1 soup ladle

1 wooden spoon

1 strainer

1 cutting board kitchen knife

Soak the dried seaweed for one hour in a medium bowl with cold water to allow the seaweed to expand and soften.

Cut the round steak into small, bite sized pieces and season with black pepper and sea salt in a bowl.
Note: Although the traditional recipe only calls for black pepper and salt, one can certainly add their seasoning of choice to make it more palatable!

Set a medium sized pot onto the stove on medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of sesame oil, let the oil heat for about 20 seconds.

Add in the round steak and make sure as much of the bottom of the pot is covered by meat. Let the beef sit until the pink has subsided, but the meat hasn’t been fully cooked.

Strain the seaweed into a separate bowl and add it into the pot, making sure that as little seaweed sticks to the bottom or sides of the pot.

Notice how I cornered my meat to cover as much of the pot as possible, this helps to minimize the amount of seaweed stuck onto the pot.

Add in 10 cups of water and increase the heat until the water is boiling, then add in the garlic and soy sauce.

After letting it boil for 1-2 minutes, decrease the heat to medium and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

Pour a serving into a bowl and enjoy with rice.
Note: I like to enjoy the soup by mixing it into a bowl of rice, as seen in the second picture. This is up to preference but I recommend trying both!