Korean Mushroom Seaweed Soup
Quick answer
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 f...
What makes this special
- Beoseot miyeok guk features oyster and shiitake mushrooms stir-fried in sesame oil for concentrated seaweed umami.
- Seaweed and mushrooms stir-fried in sesame oil for 3 minutes before water added to concentrate umami
- Seaweed simmered 20 minutes lends a subtle oceanic aroma and natural viscosity
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Soak 20g dried seaweed in cold water for 10 minutes until expanded.
- 2 Tear 180g oyster mushrooms into long strands along their natural grain, then...
- 3 Add 1 tbsp sesame oil to a pot and warm it over medium heat.
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.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
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.
- 2Prep
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.
- 3Control
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.
- 4Step
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.
- 5Control
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.
- 6Finish
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.
After the steps
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