SEAWEED SOUP aka BIRTHDAY SOUP

korean birthday soup seaweed miyeokguk thumbnail.jpg

HEALTHY SOUP.

It’s good year-round too.

This soup made from seaweed is commonly eaten on birthdays.

It all began with new mothers eating it after delivering their baby. Not only is it packed with vitamins and minerals that help baby grow, it is also beneficial for mom to recover.

New moms are told it will purify the blood and help with blood loss due to delivery. Also that it will increase breastmilk. Basically family will want you to have it until you’re really, really sick of it.

And from that beautiful tradition of caretaking, mothers would prepare this lovingly on their child’s birthdays because of the health benefits listed above.

Then it becomes the child’s own tradition to eat it on birthdays and think of mom and feel grateful. They in turn grow up and begin the cycle again.

After many, many centuries (since the 8th century, people) it’s become part of Korean heritage.

Whew, enough with the history. It was interesting, though right?

What you need:

  • Seaweed

  • Soy Sauce

  • Sesame Oil

  • Clam meat (optional)

  • Water

  • Salt

What to do:

  • Soak seaweed in water for 10 mins

  • Drain

  • Coat the pan with sesame oil

  • Cook seaweed until you can see the green becomes brighter (5 mins)

  • Add water

  • Add clams

  • Add salt

  • Add soy sauce

  • Cook for 15 mins

Notes:

  1. Dried seaweed is deceptive in size. You really need a small handful per person. Just break it off from the package.

  2. Cut it into the size you find most comfortable to eat. you can snap them into pieces when dry before soaking, or you can cut them with scissors after draining. I just break the pieces in half when dry.

  3. Clam meat can be substituted for whatever your heart desires. Chicken, beef, pork, seafood or stick with just vegetables. The classic combo is with thinly sliced beef.

    If you add meats or hardy root vegetables (squash/turnip/radish) add them in the pan right away with the seaweed. Cook them in the sesame oil too.

    Delicate veg like mushrooms can just be added to the soup.

  4. The amount of water is how much soup you want.

  5. Soy sauce and salt are added and adjusted as you taste. Flex those tasting muscles.

  6. You can do a fast boil for 15 and eat! Or you can do a slow burn and do a hot simmer until you’re ready.

Think birthday. Think seaweed. 😉


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