Miyeok-guk
미역국
Seaweed soup with beef or clams — the birthday breakfast, and the bowl you eat after giving birth.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 미역국.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Miyeok-guk is a clean, briny soup of soaked seaweed and a little beef or seafood. Koreans eat it on birthdays. New mothers eat it for weeks. It should taste of the sea and sesame oil, not of a stock cube. Do not turn it into a chilli stew. Soak dried miyeok until it is slippery-soft and swollen, then wring it and toss it in sesame oil before any water goes in — that toast is the flavour. Beef scraps or clams are enough; a stock cube will announce itself. Simmer until the seaweed is tender and the broth tastes clean and briny. Done is a pale-green, savoury soup, not a chilli stew and not a fishy leftover smell; iodised shortcuts cannot replace a proper soak.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Soak dried miyeok in cold water 10–15 minutes until expanded. Drain, squeeze, slice.
15 minStep 2
In a pot, sauté beef in sesame oil until it loses raw colour. Add garlic, then the seaweed, and stir 2 minutes so it drinks the oil.
5 minStep 3
Add water and soy. Simmer 20 minutes. Salt only at the end. Serve with rice.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Beef → Mushrooms
Use a dashima soak for body.
Tips
- Clams instead of beef is the other classic. Add them at the end so they do not rubber.
- It tastes better the next day. The seaweed keeps giving.
History & culture
Skipping this soup on your birthday is a small cultural crime in many families. It is also ordinary Tuesday soup. Birthday breakfasts in many families are this soup whether the birthday person asked or not. After a birth, the pot stays on for weeks; first-birthday (dol) tables include it. School lunches serve a milder version, and soaked seaweed also becomes an unremarkable Tuesday lunch. Relatives still mention it if you skip the bowl on your own birthday.
Seaweed as postpartum food is older than the restaurant menu. The beef version is the common home pot. Postpartum seaweed soup is an older custom than any printed menu. Beef in the home pot rose as meat became ordinary in the twentieth century. This is not a palace festival soup. Dried-miyeok industry simply made a coastal habit available inland and overseas.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Miyeok-guk take?
45 min all in — 15 min prep, 30 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Sesame, Fish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp.
How much toasted sesame oil?
1 tbsp of Toasted sesame oil.
How much soy sauce?
1½ tbsp of Soy sauce.
What can I use instead?
Beef → Mushrooms. Use a dashima soak for body.
Any tips from this recipe?
Clams instead of beef is the other classic. Add them at the end so they do not rubber. It tastes better the next day. The seaweed keeps giving.
Can I prepare this ahead?
It tastes better the next day. The seaweed keeps giving.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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