Korean Mushroom Seaweed Soup

Quick answer

Total time: 45 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Rehydrated seaweed and two kinds of mushrooms - oyster and shiitake - are stir-fried in sesame oil first, before any water is added, so their flavors concentrate in the fat rather than leaching out into the broth.

Water is added after that initial fry and the soup simmers for twenty minutes until the seaweed softens completely and releases a gentle oceanic character into the liquid. Without any meat-based stock, the umami comes entirely from the mushrooms and the natural glutamates in the seaweed, which is enough to give the broth genuine depth. The sesame oil blooms through the whole pot. Seasoned with soup soy sauce and salt at the end, the finished soup has a calm, layered flavor with soft seaweed and slightly chewy mushrooms providing contrasting textures in each bowl.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

dried seaweed20 gg

oyster mushrooms180 gg

shiitake mushrooms100 gg

sesame oil1 tbsptbsp

minced garlic1 tbsptbsp

soup soy sauce2 tbsptbsp

salt⅔ tsptsp

water1800 mlml

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Soak 20g dried seaweed in cold water for 10 minutes until expanded.

Rinse it clean, drain gently without squeezing hard, and cut it into bite-size pieces so it keeps a soft texture in the soup.
2

Prep

Tear 180g oyster mushrooms into long strands along their natural grain, then slice 100g shiitake mushrooms thinly.

Keep the pieces fairly even so the mushrooms soften at the same pace while still staying slightly chewy.
3

Control

Add 1 tbsp sesame oil to a pot and warm it over medium heat.

Add the seaweed and both mushrooms, then stir-fry for about 3 minutes until the surfaces look glossy and the mushroom aroma becomes stronger.
4

Step

Add 1 tbsp minced garlic and stir for only about 30 seconds.

Pour in 1.8L water before the garlic browns, because burnt garlic can make the clear mushroom and seaweed broth taste bitter.
5

Control

Once the soup comes to a boil, keep it at medium heat and skim off any foam lightly.

Simmer for 20 minutes, until the seaweed turns soft and the broth gains a little natural body.
6

Finish

Season with 2 tbsp soup soy sauce and 0.7 tsp salt, then taste the broth.

Simmer 5 more minutes so the seasoning settles, and serve hot while the mushrooms still have a gentle chew.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Beoseot miyeok guk features oyster and shiitake mushrooms stir-fried in sesame oil for concentrated seaweed umami.
Finish cue: Simmer for 20 minutes, until the seaweed turns soft and the broth gains a little natural body.
Avoid this: Pour in 1.8L water before the garlic browns, because burnt garlic can make the clear mushroom and seaweed broth taste bitter.
Substitution: After soaking seaweed, gently drain it instead of squeezing too hard.