Seaweed Soup

*side note: today’s post comes to you from my new phone which has 5g, and apparently no device I own can work with 5g connection.. so I apologize for any confusion in layout!

Over the past weeks, as I eat my lunches during the work day, I have enjoyed the kindness of my colleagues as they offer their foods for me to try. I decided last week to try to start making more share-friendly meals for work, just in case the teachers decide to trust my cooking “skills”.

For last week’s meal, I made pesto pasta (pesto from a jar on plain spaghetti) and a basic tuna salad that I would mix in after heating the pasta. It was simple and tasty (in my humble opinion), and many teachers found this to be a new and exciting dish… One teacher even said I was a great cook (ok hun, lets not get too excited.. but also, omg thanks!!! and keep the compliments coming🤗🤗)

This week’s lunch…

I decided to try a Korean recipe: Seaweed Soup (Miyeok guk)… and a good old fashioned chicken salad (with a Korean mayonnaise, since Duke’s doesn’t exist here)

This is my first time writing about a recipe, and I do hope you can get some chuckles as you read this.. I will share the recipe link I found that I loosely followed on this cooking journey. I hope you will try this soup some time!

According to one of the teachers at my school, who has a 3 month old baby, this is the soup mothers eat daily after giving birth, to restore nutrients to their bodies.

This soup can be made with various proteins, but I hear beef mentioned most often. I decided to try this soup, and went to the store ready to speak with the butcher about the cut of meat I would require … made eye contact with them.. froze grabbed the frozen chicken breasts from the freezer and dashed to the checkout area. I shall attempt beef base another day…

This soup is very easy to make (hence why I tried it!) and it is delicious!

What You’ll Need…

• Your protein (I used chicken)  
• Sesame Oil
• Dried Seaweed
• Soy Sauce
• Minced Garlic
• Onions

Step 1

Marinate your bite friendly-sized protein in soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put your dried seaweed in cold water to soak. I added some minced garlic to mine, because I love garlic and not following directions… this can soak for 15-30 minutes with no issues.

Step 2

In a pot, lightly saute the protein and onions, using a hint of sesame oil. Then add your water to build the broth. *As I was using chicken, I did not saute more then 30 seconds before I tossed in the water… Get the water boiling, and check your protein for being fully cooked (no one’s allowed to get salmonella on my watch)..

I let this boil for about 20 minutes, checked the taste of the broth and added a drop more of soy sauce

Step 3

Take your seaweed and cut it into thinner strips and throw into the soup… please do not actually throw the seaweed.. have you seen wet seaweed?? It does not fly well…

Step 4

Lower heat to let the soup simmer and cover the pot with a lid… (I used a plate, because the previous resident did not leave a lid to fit this particular pot… #adapting )… I let the soup simmer another 15 minutes or so until I could smell the delicious garlic and soy combination wafting through the air

Step 5

Wallah! Your seaweed soup is ready to be enjoyed!

***Generally, this would be accompanied with a side of rice and other Korean side dishes. I have not yet made rice while living here. I consume enough rice, as it is served with almost every meal I have when I eat out.

Here’s that recipe link I promised you!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/257806/seaweed-soup-miyuk-guk/

On another note…

Here are some scenic pictures for you to look at as you ponder whether or not you will make seaweed soup for dinner