The Easiest Broth-Based Korean Seaweed Soup (Miyeok-guk)
Korean Seaweed Soup — 미역국 — “MiYeok Guk”
using seaweed by SEA:D and mineral-rich bone broth using 100% Grass-Fed & Finished Beef Bones by Sugar Hill Farmstead
(I’m asked by a lot of you: “which brand do you use?” for these 2 ingredients - hope this post helps!)
If you’ve ever made Korean Seaweed Soup (Miyeok-guk), you know the struggle can be quite real (but I have a solution for you - read on!)
The dried seaweed takes forever to cut into bite-size pieces, and sometimes—IYKYK—you even find random plastic netting tangled inside the seaweed. Even in the “good quality” ones.
But this is a postpartum/pregnancy ESSENTIAL in my book… I wanted to somehow make it easy… and to encourage postpartum/pregnant mums to make it
— Enter SEA:D Seaweed x KimC Market—
Once you try SEA:D Sea Mustard from KimC Market, there’s no going back.
The chic little pouches eliminate every pain point of making Miyeok-guk:
✨ Pre-portioned for 2–3 servings (no need for weighing/guessing how much seaweed needs to go in the pot)
✨ Clean & each piece is SO silky: chef’s-kiss quality—no plastic threads, no labor-intensive cutting session
✨ Naturally dried by sun + sea breeze for max aroma & texture
✨ Deep-water harvested where the East Sea meets the South Sea (meaning it’s harvested in a nutrient-rich marine environment, a result of natural oceanographic processes)
It’s honestly the most convenient and high-quality seaweed I’ve ever used.
For today’s recipe, we’re making a 2-3 serving batch—perfect for small households, postpartum/pregnant mums, or anyone wanting a nourishing, mineral-rich meal without leftovers piling up in the fridge.
Why Koreans Eat Seaweed Soup
As a Korean American, I grew up eating Miyeok-guk every year on my birthday. The tradition comes from Korean mums drinking and eating this soup postpartum for healing and recovery. So serving it on birthdays honors the mum who birthed you. 🥹
Culturally speaking, it’s so comforting and nutritionally incredible… seaweed is one of the most mineral-dense foods on earth:
boosts the immune system
aids bone health (hello, calcium!)
supports healthy blood formation—key for pregnancy + postpartum
improves skin, hair, nails, and digestion
helps with weight management
can support reduced hair loss (postpartum mums, IYKYK)
No wonder Koreans treat this soup like a healing elixir when the body needs a bit of assistance.
🍲 2-3 Serving Korean Seaweed Soup (Miyeok-guk)
INGREDIENTS
Filtered water to soak seaweed/sea mustard
3 cups broth (for extra gut-health benefits - I’ll explain how I extract this below)
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tbsp coconut aminos
2–3 lb protein of choice (I prefer: ground beef or shredded beef brisket. Shrimp works!)
4 tsp sea salt (adjust to taste)
Optional: 3 dried anchovies (big)
½ tbsp fish sauce (optional, but highly recommended)
INSTRUCTIONS
Soak the seaweed.
Submerge the SEA:D Sea Mustard in a bowl of filtered water for 10–15 minutes until it softens and expands.
Rinse & drain.Start the broth.
Add soaked seaweed & bones that you already used to make bone broth (click for detailed instructions) + 4 cups filtered water to an Instant Pot.
The combo creates a mineral-rich “second-extraction” broth.Add dried anchovies, garlic, fish sauce, and coconut aminos. Season with sea salt to taste.
Add protein.
Drop in your meat of choice (I use 100% grass fed ground beef or brisket).IP method: pressure cook SOUP mode for 20 minutes.
Quick release outside (taking the pot outside to release keeps your indoor air clean - this is so key for those struggling with eczema / allergies!)
STORAGE
Refrigerate: 3 days
Freeze: up to 3 months (seaweed freezes beautifully)
To Reheat: defrost from frozen in the fridge overnight and bring it to a boil when ready to serve.
Why SEA:D Seaweed Is Next-Level
SEA:D’s seaweed is grown in clean, deep waters where the East Sea meets the South Sea—an environment known for mineral-rich currents and low pests. The seaweed is hand-selected, naturally sun-dried + wind-dried, and packaged into perfect small-batch portions.
No need for cutting. No weighing.
You just open, soak, cook n’ enjoy the silkiest miyeok.
If you want smooth, ultra-silky, restaurant-quality Miyeok-guk at home, this is your go-to seaweed.
👉 Shop it here with my code MUMWITHABUN for $5 off.
Minimum purchase of USD49 required. Code Use limited to one use per customer.
🌊 NUTRITION SPOTLIGHT
(Why Seaweed = a Mum Superfood)
Seaweed is naturally rich in:
CALCIUM – essential for heart + bone/teeth health and preventing bone loss postpartum
IODINE – critical for thyroid health & baby’s brain development (baby leans on mum’s thyroid health/function in pregnancy too. It’s no wonder I craved seaweed all throughout pregnancy!) It’s also a nutrient that has helped numerous mums on the TTC journey ♡
IRON + COPPER + FOLATE + MAGNESIUM – supports
blood formation,
energy,
recovery &
postpartum healing
(so important to restore these minerals as life can drain us of it, but especially critical in pregnancy & postpartum)
Pregnancy basically requires a doubling of your blood volume, and postpartum recovery requires major nutrient/blood loss replenishment—seaweed delivers all of that in a gentle, digestible form.
Share this recipe with a mum friend, mums-to-be, or anyone wanting to nourish their body the Korean, ancestral way.
