Seaweed soup

Korean miyeok-guk is made with dried miyeok, a type of sea mustard also known as wakame. It softens and expands when soaked, giving the soup its slippery, tender texture.

Soak dried miyeok in cold water for about 10–15 minutes, until soft and expanded. Rinse it, drain well and cut longer strands into bite-sized pieces.

Briefly fry sliced beef and the drained seaweed in sesame oil, then add water or stock and a little garlic. Simmer for about 20–30 minutes and season with Korean soup soy sauce.

Nori is not a good direct substitute: it breaks down quickly and lacks miyeok’s chewy texture. Use dried wakame or miyeok; if you only have nori, crumble a little over the finished soup instead.

Serve miyeok-guk hot with steamed rice and Korean side dishes such as kimchi. It is also traditionally eaten on birthdays in Korea.

Cool it quickly, refrigerate within 1–2 hours and use within 2 days. Reheat it until steaming hot throughout, and only reheat it once.

Yes. Cool it quickly, divide it into sealed portions and freeze; thaw in the fridge before reheating until steaming hot. The seaweed may be softer after thawing.

Seaweed soup has 8.7 g of protein per 100 g, compared with 7.4 g in seaweed salad.