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Korean Birthday Meal
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5 from 4 votes

Korean Birthday Meal - Seaweed Soup (Miyeok Guk)

Ingredients

Miyeok-Guk (Seaweed Soup)

  • ½ cup Dried Seaweed (aka Miyeok/Wakame)
  • 150-200 grams Beef Brisket
  • 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
  • 1 teaspoon (!) Kosher Salt (for stirfrying beef & seaweed)
  • ½ Tablespoon Soup Soy Sauce (Regular Soy Sauce ok)
  • 5 cups Water
  • ½ teaspoon (!) Fish Sauce
  • ½ Tablespoon Soup Soy Sauce (Regular Soy Sauce ok)
  • 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

Gyeran Mari (Rolled Egg)

  • 5 Eggs
  • 1 Big Pinch of Kosher Salt
  • 1 Big Pinch of Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Diced Carrot
  • 2 Tablespoons Diced Green Onion

Myeongran Jeot (Salted Pollock Roe)

  • 1 Whole Salted Pollock Roe
  • 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
  • Few shakes Gochugaru
  • Small handful Diced Green Onion
  • Few shakes Sesame Seeds

Instructions

Make Miyeok Guk (Seaweed Soup)

  • Soak ½ cup of dried miyeok (seaweed) in cold water. After 30-40 minutes, the seaweed should have grown in size. Drain the seaweed through a sieve. Then use your hands and squeeze the water out of the seaweed. Then grab a pair of kitchen scissors and chop the seaweed into bite-sized pieces.
  • Use a knife and cut a piece of beef brisket (~150 grams) into small bite-sized pieces. Place the small beef pieces between a few paper towels and pat it down - this is to get rid of any excess blood or liquid (which makes for a cleaner broth). Set it aside.
  • Place 1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil into a wok or pot. Turn on medium-heat. Once the oil is hot, add the beef pieces in. Then add in the seaweed. Add in the Kosher Salt (1 teaspoon!) and Soy Sauce (½ Tablespoon). Stir-fry it around for 3-5 minutes - this process brings out a deep flavor from the seaweed. (Note: If the pieces start to stick to the pot and you see the seaweed pieces "melt on" to the sides - you've been stir-frying for too long - immediately move onto next step)
  • Then add 2.5 cups of water. Once it comes to boil, let it boil away for a few minutes.
  • Afterwards, place in remaining 2.5 additional cups of water.
  • Then add in Fish Sauce (½ teaspoon!) & Soy Sauce (½ Tablespoon). Then some minced garlic (1 Tablespoon).
  • Then place a lid on - and let it gently simmer for 30 minutes on LOW heat!
  • After 30 minutes, turn off the heat. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes - so the flavors can come back together. Then sample soup - it should be spot on! But If it tastes slightly bland, add-in a splash more of soy sauce OR a sprinkle of kosher salt. Conversly, if it tastes slightly too salty, add-in a splash of water. Then let it cook for a few minutes more if you made adjustments.
  • Plate and serve with a bowl of rice.

Make Gyeran Mari (Rolled Egg)

  • Finely dice a small piece of carrot (2 Tablespoons worth) as well as a stalk of green onion (2 Tablespoons worth). Set aside.
  • Crack 5 eggs into a bowl. Whisk it thoroughly. Add in Salt (1 big pinch) and Sugar (1 big pinch).
  • Add the diced carrot and green onion into the egg mixture - give it a good whisk.
  • Now, get out a non-stick frying pan. Place it on LOW heat (this is important!). Place a small amount of cooking oil into the frying pan. Then fold-up one paper towel - and use it to wipe the oil around the pan (it will soak up the oil and leave only a small layer of oil in the pan).
  • Once the pan feels hot, place in ⅓ of the egg mixture. Move the pan around so you get a small even layer. Then give it about a minute (or two) for the egg mixture to set and begin lifting off the pan.
  • Then slowly roll-up one side of the egg. Keep folding until you reach the other side.
  • Once you reach the end, moved the rolled egg piece to one side of the pan. Then place some oil onto the folded paper towel again and coat the pan with a small layer of oil.
  • Then add in another ⅓ of the egg mixture. Make sure to tilt that pan so that the egg mixture connects to the rolled egg piece. Then give it about a minute (or two) for the egg mixture to set and lift off the pan. Then slowly roll-up one side of the egg.
  • Repeat this process one more time - and use up the remaining ⅓ of the egg mixture.
  • Once the egg is rolled, carefully take it off the frying pan. Let it cool for a few minutes. Then use a knife to cut into small rectangular pieces.

Make Myeongran Jeot (Salted Pollock Roe)

  • Use a knife to open up one whole pollock roe. Scrape the roe out with a spoon.
  • Place the roe into a small plate. Then drizzle on some Sesame Oil (1 Tablespoon), gochugaru (few shakes), diced green onion (few pinches) and sesame seeds (few pinches)
  • Mix them all together before eating - make sure to eat with rice (as it is salty!)