Thursday, August 5, 2010

Miyeok Guk 미역국 Korean Birthday Soup



A cake is a must have for any birthday celebration these days but most people still eat certain traditional dishes on their big day. Long life noodles, red eggs, yellow rice and rice cakes are some of the traditional birthday food that I am aware of. The Koreans meanwhile must have a bowl of miyeok guk (wakame soup) first thing in the morning but why?  According to my friend K's mother P, this is also a soup consumed by new mothers in Korea as seaweed is believed to cleanse the blood vessels and aid the production of milk. She thinks it symbolizes the bond between a mother and her child. It  also serves as a reminder to the child what she has to go through during childbirth. It was one of the tummies' birthday yesterday (he is half Korean),  I made him a bowl of miyeok guk in the morning and he was most grateful for that. This is such a simple and delicious meal to produce so don't wait til your birthday! Do you eat any traditional food on your birthday? 



Serves one birthday person 
you'll need;
50 g of beef fillet, thinly sliced
a small handful of miyeok seaweed (wakame), reconstituted and squeezed dry
salt
pepper
Korean soy
sesame oil
1.5 cups of stock



This is what miyeok/wakame looks like and the amount used in this recipe.



Slice beef very thinly. Marinate beef briefly with a little soy, dash of pepper and sesame oil.



Simmer seaweed in broth for 5 minutes then turn off the heat and add in the beef slices, mix well and serve immediately.



This is so delicious it should be served all year round.

29 comments:

  1. Oh I am here very early today lol I have seen red eggs and long life noodles at a Chinese birthday party but we only have birthday cakes. Looks delicious and very simple, I will try it with the leftover wakame I have.

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  2. korean sitcom fanaticAugust 5, 2010 at 5:05 PM

    Oh Korean food is back! I love this soup and I have this every time I miss home (mum) :)

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  3. Such a wonderful story behind a simple dish like this. I normally get 2 red eggs on my birthday morning and long life noodles at dinner :)

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  4. a nice bowl of soup. by the way, did you received my submission of sambal petai for Muhibbah ? pls confirm.

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  5. I think I have seen this being served in Korean drama lol Looks simple and delicious.

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  6. So kind of you to make that for your tummie! I'll ask my daughter to let you know when's her birthday so that this kind uncle can cook something traditional for her, ha, ha!

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  7. love to eat ,
    Thank you and you are very early indeed. Please do!

    Anh ,
    Thank you very much!

    korean sitcom fanatic ,
    Haha there will be a few more Korean dishes on the way so stay tuned.

    KL girl in MELB ,
    It is indeed! I get that too! :)

    Sonia,
    Thank you very much! I did and just sent you an email :)

    Pham ,
    Haha I bet you have :) Thank you!

    Cheah,
    Haha please do! I will try my best :)

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  8. What a beautiful soup to start one's birthday! It was nice of you to make the soup for the birthday boy :)

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  9. oh so simple:) sudah lama nak cuba sebab selalu tengok dalam korean Movie:)t.kasih

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  10. I am jealous about all the special birthday food. Looks like a delicious soup buddy an happy birthday to the tummy!

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  11. no soup on birthdays here, but a chicken soup is a healing soup all around the world...no seaweeed here, but we use other greens like chard in our soups...

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  12. Lovely story behind the dish. I love those seaweed...very delicious and good for health. We celebrate birthdays with a bowl of mi suah...mmm...delicious!

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  13. Lovely story for a lovely soup! :)

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  14. A wonderful tradition to follow. Happy birthday to the tummy!

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  15. Looks good enough for a birthday boy/girl. Love the story that comes with the dish too!

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  16. miyeok seaweed - I must get some... simple but delicious. :)

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  17. oh sori..lupa tadi nak wish happy bday to the other tummy...

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  18. Love the tradition behind the soup. I have been known to have brothy soup in the early a.m. Our birthday tradition seems to be centered around what is seasonal.

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  19. Looks delicious, I'd love that for breakfast! My mum always made us noodles and an egg for our birthdays. I try and make noodles of some sort on birthdays now, if I remember.

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  20. Ps - happy birthday other tummy :)

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  21. You are very thoughtful! I still make red eggs for birthdays, actually. ;) BTW Suresh, sent you an email. Please have a look. Thanks!

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  22. I really must try this. I've never heard of it before and am curious as to how it would taste. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  23. I used to cook this soup at home but not for birthday.

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  24. I would skip the cake for that! My birthday is this month too! Mmmmm....

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  25. ça me ferait plaisir de manger de la nourriture traditionnelle pour mon anniversaire
    ça à l'air appétissant
    bonne soirée

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  26. I'm sure this is good, but I still need a cake on my birthday.

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  27. This looks delicious! I will still need a cake too haha.

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  28. Thank you for sharing. Just wondering Do you use beef stock or chicken stock. Can I use either?Can I use water if I don't have any beef or chicken stock?

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