Rich Beef Miyeok Guk (Beef Seaweed Soup) with Whole Beef Broth
A deep and rich wild seaweed soup made by simmering a whole cut of beef for broth and shredding the meat along the grain.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This deep and rich beef seaweed soup is made with thick wild dried seaweed and a broth brewed from slow-simmered beef brisket. Instead of stir-frying cut meat, the beef is boiled whole and shredded, giving it a neat presentation and an exceptionally tender texture that is wonderful for a birthday table.
- Servings
- 7–8 servings
- Cook time
- 50 minprep not included
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Beef450 g
- Wild dried seaweed (miyeok)60 g
- Water15 cups
- Perilla oil (or perilla oil)4 tbsp
Seasoning
- Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)2 tbsp
- Tuna extract sauce (chamchi-aek)2 tbsp
- Salt1/2–1 tsp
- Soak the beef in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour, changing the water occasionally to draw out the blood.
- Pour in plenty of water and soak for about 30 minutes until soft.
- Soaked wild dried seaweed often has small pebbles or grit clinging to its surface, so rub it gently with your hands to loosen any debris and rinse it several times under running water until the water runs clear. Drain in a strainer and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Steps
Prepare ingredients
Here are the beef brisket and wild dried seaweed (miyeok).
Soak the beef to remove blood
Soak the beef in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour, changing the water occasionally to draw out the blood.
Boil the beef
Pour in about 15 cups of water, add the meat, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam that rises cleanly, then simmer gently for at least 30 minutes.
The water reduced as it boiled down, leaving about 11 cups.
Once the meat is tender and cooked through to the center, remove it and shred it along the grain while it is still warm.
The cooking liquid will be used as the broth for the seaweed soup.
Soak and clean the seaweed
Standard packaged supermarket seaweed only needs a brief soak, but wild dried seaweed requires cleaning.
Pour in plenty of water and soak for about 30 minutes until soft.
Soaked wild dried seaweed often has small pebbles or grit clinging to its surface, so rub it gently with your hands to loosen any debris and rinse it several times under running water until the water runs clear.
Drain in a strainer and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Stir-fry the seaweed
Drizzle 4 tbsp of perilla oil, add the seaweed, and stir-fry it briskly.
Stir-fry thoroughly until the stiff seaweed becomes tender and limp, then pour in 11 cups of the beef broth.
Add 4 cups of water here, bringing the total to 15 cups.
Simmer the soup
Add 2 tbsp of soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) and 2 tbsp of tuna extract sauce (chamchi-aek), then simmer gently for at least 20 minutes until the broth becomes rich.
Taste the broth, and if it is underseasoned, adjust with 1/2 to 1 tsp of salt.
Finish by adding the shredded beef at the end.
Serve
Because the seaweed is thick, the broth infused richly, just like traditional postpartum seaweed soup.
Boiling the beef whole and shredding it like this makes it far more tender and delicious.
Boiling the meat separately and shredding it takes a little extra effort, but the presentation is neat and the flavor is refined.
Receiving a bowl like this as a birthday soup makes anyone feel pampered and happy.
Ppunwife's tips
- Using wild dried seaweed rather than packaged supermarket seaweed gives a thicker texture that holds up well during long simmering, producing a deeper broth.
- Instead of slicing and stir-frying the beef, simmering it whole for broth and shredding the meat yields a much deeper, more elegant flavor.
FAQ
How do you draw the blood out of the beef?
Soak it in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour, changing the water occasionally to draw out the blood.
How is wild dried seaweed cleaned differently from regular packaged seaweed?
After soaking it thoroughly in water for about 30 minutes, you need to rub it with your hands to remove any attached debris, rinsing it several times under running water until the water runs clear.
Why boil and shred the beef instead of stir-frying it?
Using the beef cooking liquid creates a deeper broth, and the meat shredded along the grain turns out much more tender with a neat presentation.
