Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Korean

Miyeok guk

Non-vegetarian

미역국 · miyeok-guk

A light, savoury soup of wakame seaweed and beef sautéed in sesame oil, then simmered with garlic and soy sauce.

Miyeok guk is a Korean soup from South Korea, ready in about 50 minutes and made with wakame and beef chuck. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking
Miyeok-guk (seaweed soup)
Photo: 국립국어원 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-2.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Beginner
Calories
110

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the dried wakame (opens in a new tab) in cold water for 10–15 minutes until it expands, then rinse, squeeze dry and cut into pieces.

    • 12 min

  2. Step 2

    Heat the sesame oil (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) and sauté the beef until browned. Add the wakame (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the soy sauce (opens in a new tab) and water, bring to the boil, then simmer, partly covered, until the beef is tender and the broth is flavourful.

    • 30 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Season with the salt, adjusting to taste, and serve hot.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    South Korea · Well documentedMore food from South Korea
    Dish
    Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Soups
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Sautéed
    Taste
    umami, savoury, nutty, mild
    Diet
    Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
    With the listed swaps: Pescatarian, Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    One-pot · Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
    Cook more with
    Wakame · Beef chuck · Toasted sesame oil · Garlic · Soy sauce
    Techniques
    Stir-frying · Sautéing · Boiling · Simmering

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce
    • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce
    • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce
    • Contains: Sesamefrom toasted sesame oil

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    110 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 453 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 37%
    • Carbohydrate 21%
    • Fat 43%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy110 kcal24 kcal
    Protein10.6 g2.3 g
    Carbohydrate6 g1.3 g
    Net carbohydrate5.7 g1.2 g
    Sugars0.4 g0.1 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre0.4 g0.1 g
    Fat5.5 g1.2 g
    Saturated fat1.3 g0.3 g
    Trans fat0.1 g0 g
    Cholesterol24 mg5 mg
    Sodium1232 mg272 mg
    Salt equivalent3.1 g0.7 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    212 mg
    Calcium
    123 mg
    Iron
    2.1 mg
    Magnesium
    75 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    10 µg
    Vitamin C
    2 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.9 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    100 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Sautéing the wakame in sesame oil first gives the broth its depth.

    Common mistakes

    • Using too much dried wakame — it expands roughly tenfold.
    • Skipping the sauté in sesame oil, which gives the broth its depth.

    Serve with

    • Serve with rice and banchan; it's the traditional birthday breakfast.

    Food safety

    • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours; they keep 3 days. Bring back to a full boil before serving.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate for up to 4 days; flavour improves on day two.

    Reheating

    • Reheat until simmering.

    History

    Miyeok guk is traditionally eaten on birthdays and by mothers after giving birth in Korea.

    Confidence: Well documented

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    • Wakame, rehydrated weight (about 20 g dried), cut into bite-size pieces200 g
    • Beef chuck, brisket or chuck, cut into thin bite-size pieces150 g
    Used in steps 1, 2

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

    You might also like