Vegan Miyeok Guk | Korean Seaweed Soup

Amanda Nicole SmithDinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, No Tools Needed, Quick & Easy, Soup, Vegan 9 Comments

As many of you know I moved to DC over the summer, in hopes to grow opportunities and also to follow my heart. This city and its surrounding areas are culturally divine. I feel as though a piece of every place in the world came to DC, it’s a feeling of connection that I have never experienced before. This is just what I was looking for, inspiration, coming from people with different habits, different views of the world, different food, values, dance, experiences, ideas, influence and so on.
Learning different cultures is such a mind opening experience. I love picking and choosing activities from a diverse section. Having an eclectic view on the world, I feel, keeps us moving forward, keeps us experiencing new things that bring us joy. Adding to my eclectic recipe collection comes this delicious Korean soup from my very first DC client, Melissa; who has also become a good friend of mine.

I started her on my purified lifestyle program and we discussed some of her favorite recipes for her meal plan. One of them was this Korean Seaweed Soup. She gave me her mother’s recipe but this version wasn’t as healthy as it could have been, and it was hard for her to make it without the seaweed getting mushy from being overcooked. So I took to my raw vegan food techniques and re-made this traditional Korean soup and the results were fantastic!  

If you like miso soup but want more sea veggies you’ll really like this version.

What is Miyeok Guk?

“Miyeok” is the Korean name for wakame or seaweed and “Guk” is the Korean name for soup.  

It’s a deliciously simple Seaweed Soup!

Traditionally this soup is given to expecting and nursing mothers because of the health benefits and high nutrient content. Subsequently it is a birthday soup in remembrance of the first food consumed by the mother after child’s birth which was then passed to the child through her breast milk.

It warms my heart to learn about a culture that actually gives the gift of health on someone’s birthday rather than the normal super unhealthy birthday cakes. This makes me want to come up with a new household birthday food tradition…hmmm… I’ll get back to that.

The original version of this recipe had beef bullion and fish powder but I like to try and veganize recipes so instead I went for a vegetable stock and added miso and tamari. Melissa says it still reminds her of her mothers soup…Success!

wakame dried

wakamesoaked

Vegan Miyeok Guk Soup

A traditional Korean seaweed soup. A simple broth infused with herbs and spices and filled with wakame.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ounce dried seaweed; wakame
  • 4 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp tamari; soy sauce or nama shoyu
  • 1 small red onion; diced
  • 4 cloves garlic; minced
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 tbsp shiro miso
  • 1 tsp salt

Toppings

  • 1/4 cup scallions; diced
  • 1/8 cup sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Soak wakame until soft; I normally soak it in the morning and prepare at night.
  • Rinse and Drain wakame, and squeeze out the excess water.
  • Cut wakame into bite-sized pieces
  • Stir in 1 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp sesame oil, set aside.
  • Heat large pot on medium-high and add remaining 2 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp soy sauce; sometimes I'll throw in coconut oil too
  • Add in just a little bit of minced garlic and diced onions to give the soup more depth and flavor. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add in wakame and cook for additional 2 minutes.
  • Drop the heat to medium-low, add in the rest of the ingredients and cover. Let simmer for about 10 minutes then turn off the heat and let it cook for an additional 10 minutes.
  • Let the soup cool for about 10 minutes
Thanks Melissa for the inspiration to re-create this recipe! I actually crave this soup now because it tastes so good and it makes me feel my best. It’s everything I look for in a recipe. <3

I hope you all enjoy this amazingly healthy soup! Give it to loved ones feeling under the weather, or bring it your expecting friends as a great gift of health!

Love you all,

Amanda

Ingredients

If you are lucky enough to have an asian market near you they should have everything you need but if you don’t I have listed the ingredients below that are available online.



Comments 9

    1. Post
      Author
  1. Due to some supply issues (i.e., not enough wakame) I had to make some alterations, but I just made this dish and it was quite tasty. Thanks for posting it!

    1. Post
      Author
  2. Don’t add miso to it, it isn’t necessary and deviates from the traditional recipe. I highly recommend adding clams or mussels for added iron, it is used traditionally for nursing mothers and the shellfish have a lot of those nutrients needed. Oh, and the onions seem really weird. Garlic is traditional is most Korean style soups.

  3. I agree…shellfish is unacceptable!
    Miso does not go well with this recipe. It is truly unnecessary!

    Garlic, sesame oil, salt, tamari sauce and green onions is all that is needed to make a superb and healthy soup. It is in the seaweed!

    If you add shellfish it becomes “sea-weird!”

  4. Pingback: EASY, SIMPLE KOREAN MEALS - ELAINE SIR

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