Beef Seaweed Soup

I like surprises. I found a packet of salted fresh seaweeds sitting lonely in the fridge. I bought it a while ago thinking of making a pot of soup, then forgot about it until I discovered the packet stuck in the back of my fridge.  What a pleasant surprise! I, of course, had to rescue these lovely sea plants to come to alive.

Seaweeds are great. I mean they are mega healthy food. Asians have enjoyed seaweeds in our diet for who knows how long? They are algae and grow in the ocean so they hold a bounty of sea minerals and vitamins. It is naturally fat free and full of iodine, a nutrient that is missing in a lot of other food. If you have a thyroid problem, you might want to consider consuming lots of seaweed.

Seaweeds are especially good for women since it was known to regulate estrogen hormone level. It is famous fact that for hundreds of years, Korean women have been consuming lots of seaweed in a soup form when they are nursing.

Many Koreans use dried seaweed in the recipe, especially for the soup. However, I would like to ask you to look for the fresh kind. Most Korean stores carry fresh seaweed covered with sea salt in a package (You will find them in the refrigerator section). All you need to do is just to rinse the salt off the seaweeds. Fresh seaweeds offers very soft and silky texture in the dish, and bring the deeper flavor in the broth of your soup.

If you can’t find the fresh seaweeds, use the dried one by all means. See my post on seaweed soup with tuna to learn how to use the dried seaweed.

Rinse the salt off the seaweeds and cut into desired length. I like my seaweeds to be rather big in size, but you can cut it smaller if you don’t want a big chunks of seaweed to chew on.

Slice the beef thinly. I highly recommend to use sirloin for this recipe. This is rather a quick soup, so the simmering time is short. Tougher cut of beef might stay tough.

Heat sesame oil gently over medium heat and quickly saute your beef until no longer in pink.

Add the seaweeds and saute together for 1 minute.

Add the water and bring to boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes until the seaweeds are tender for your liking.

When the seaweeds are tender, add the minced garlic…

and the Korean soy sauce for soup. Taste the broth. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste by adding more soy sauce or salt.

I had my seaweed soup with wholesome brown rice and my Bachelor Kimchi which goes so well with this soup. The flavor of the broth is just so comforting and delicious, and the beef is so tender. Out of all the soups I make, the seaweed soup has to be my kid’s favorite. They can easily empty out a bowl without much fuss.

As you can see, you will have a beautiful soup, that is healthy and delicious, within 30 minutes. And it is soooooo~~ good for you. Hope you can give it a shot even if you are not a big fan of seaweed.

Oh, by the way…, the leftover is even better on the next day.

Beef Seaweed Soup

Holly Ford

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Ingredients

  

• 1 packet 400g, 14oz salted fresh seaweeds or 8 oz dried seaweeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 lb beef sirloin thinly sliced into bite size pieces
• 7 cups water
• 1 clove garlic finely minced
• 2 tablespoon Korean soy sauce for soup
• salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Rinse the seaweeds several times to remove the salt. Cut into desired bite size length.
• Heat the sesame oil gently in a pot over medium heat and add the beef, saute until no longer in pick. Add the seaweeds to the beef and cook for another 1 minute. Add the water and bring the whole thing to boil. Cover with a lid and simmer the soup over low heat for 15-20 minutes until the seaweeds get soft.
• Add garlic and the Korean soy sauce for soup. Season with more soy sauce or salt according to your taste. Serve warm with rice and kimchi.