Postpartum Korean Seaweed Soup (Miyeok-Guk Soup)

wherMiyeok-guk soup, AKA Korean Postpartum Seaweed Soup was my go-to recipe postpartum. Rich in a variety of minerals, easy to digest, and with just the right amount of flavor that you’ll never get bored of it, it is believed to replenish nutrients, speed recovery, and support milk supply. Based on my own experience, it definitely delivered.

In honor of my sister-in-law giving birth soon, I interrupt the usual acne nutrition content for a postpartum nutrition recipe. This recipe helped me, and hopefully it can help you too!

What is Miyeok-Guk Soup?

In Korea, Miyeok-Guk Soup (or Korean Postpartum Seaweed Soup) is traditionally consumed by a new mother for 30 days postpartum, 3 times a day.

It is made with a few simple ingredients: beef, seaweed (specifically arame), garlic, fish sauce (or tamari), and sesame oil.

My Experience with Miyeok-Guk Soup

Personally I consumed this soup twice a day, typically for breakfast and dinner, over a big bowl of soupy bone broth rice. I never tired of it over 30 days (well maybe a little towards the end). I had plenty of milk, and my body seemed to recover pretty quickly. It gave me the strength and calmness needed to keep up with the demanding schedule of a newborn.

Typically once a baby is born, they will lose a little weight over the first few days. According to Standford Medicine, it is normal for term infants to lose up to 7% of their birth weight before regaining it by day 10. My baby not only didn’t lose weight, he gained it right from the start. I credit that to this soup!

You can jump right to the recipe, below OR check out a more in depth video with more postpartum tips for expecting or recently postpartum moms.

Miyeok-Guk Soup Recipe

The shared recipe is only very slightly adapated from the original creator, Maangchhi.

Miyeokguk Soup (Korean Seaweed Soup)

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Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Ingredients

• ½ ounce dried wakame (miyeok) seaweed soaked in water for 30 minutes (16 g)
• 8 cups water
• 1 pound grass-fed beef brisket or skirt steak cut into thin and small pieces
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce OR sub tamari
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Instructions

• First, rinse and drain the seaweed. Squeeze out the excess water and cut into bite-size pieces.
• To a large pot, add 8 cups of water and the drained seaweed. Cover and bring it to a boil for about 10 minutes.
• Turn down the heat to medium. Add the beef, cover, and cook for 40 minutes. It should be tender.
• Stir in garlic and fish sauce. Cook another 10 minutes.
• Stir-in the sesame oil. Ladle into bowls and serve with a bowl of rice.

Recipe Notes

This recipe is very slightly adapted from https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/miyeokguk 

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