Published January 11th, 2007
in Soup and Stew, Kitchen Talk and Food Culture.
(Flowers from my honey)
When is your birthday, Sue? Triple one, that’s the date I was born.
It can confuse people with November 1st, but still, pronouncing triple one sounds kind of cool. 
It was very noisy from the early morning today. It was still dark outside but the strong smell of sesame oil woke me up. My two little sisters were up to something (they have been staying with us for two weeks now), making me some birthday soup.
What is birthday soup?
- So called brown seaweed soup (miyeok-guk) is the birth day soup in Korea. However people eat it on normal days as well.
Why do people have it on a birthday?
- Brown seaweed soup was actually consumed by a woman who delivered a child. Because it helps to clean blood vessels and to produce milk, it has abundant iodine to reduce the swollen body and calcium to help build strong bones, which are all important for both mother and child.
- It is symbolic to have on a birthday, because while a baby’s mother has this soup, the baby also eats it through the milk. Though, my theory is to remind people about their mother’s hard work for delivering them and say thank you to their mother on their birthday. So on your birthday, you should say thank you to your mother.
This is a picture of the brown seaweed soup (Miyeok-guk) my sisters made for me.
I don’t know what she added to season it, but it would probably be some salt. The obvious ingredients are brown seaweed, some beef cuts, and sesame oil. It was delicious yet the sesame oil overpowered the overall taste. I hope my sister doesn’t read this post. Because I said it was very good. Sister, the thought is what counts!!
My sisters are self claimed night elves. They’ve been baking cookies, cakes and helping me cooking meals while they are staying with us.
Chocolate cake from the night elves (they used a prepackaged mix)
Brown Seaweed Soup, Food Culture, Kitchen Talk, Korean soup, Miyeok guk, Soup and Stew
Published November 22nd, 2006
in Soup and Stew and Vegetarian.
Did you enjoy the Soju party last night? Or are you planning to have one on the weekend? Either way, here is one good and simple recipe for people who have or will have a hang over.
Apparently, Bean Sprout soup helps people recover from a hangover quickly. If I reword it using chemical terms, here it is. “The roots of the sprouts have lots of asparagine which reduces the acetaldehyde, that is formed after drinking alcohol.” Bean sprout soup is also good for recovering from a cold, because it has lots of vitamin C. I could feel my body getting warmer after having this soup. What is more, it is really cheap to make. (If you buy 1 pack of sprouts which is about 1000 won - US $1, you can make soup for 6 people) So it is very popular soup on a regular menu.
Ingredients for 3 people - Though if you have bad hang over, it is just right for 1 day care worth. 
(Expected preparation time - 3 minutes, Cooking time - less than 10 minutes)
- Sprouts 2 fistfuls
- 10 dried anchovies (for broth)
- Dried kelp 10×10 cm size (for broth)
- Squashed garlic 1/2 tsp
- 1 green chili
- Salt 1tsp
- Water 6 cups
Preparation
- Rinse the sprouts in cold water and discard any bad beans.
- Make a long cut in the middle of the chili and wash out the seeds in cold water (Make sure you don’t touch them. Scrub it out with a spoon or knife, if it is necessary. It makes you sting all night if you touch the seeds.) Then thin slice it.
Cooking
- Pour the water into the pot and add the kelp and anchovies.
- Boil it.
- When it boils, take out the kelp and anchovies. (You can discard them.)
- Add the sprouts and boil it for 1 minute.
- Add the garlic, salt, and chili.
6. In 30 seconds, serve it in a bowl.
For your curiosity, this is the sprouts pack, I am using.
By the way, don’t confuse these with green bean sprouts (Sukju in Korean). I saw some foreigners misusing green bean sprouts, instead of bean sprouts (Kongnamul). Read the label right, it looks very similar from the outside.
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Bean sprouts, Bean sprouts soup, kongnamul, Korean cuisine, Korean Food, Korean soup, Soup and Stew, Vegetarian
