Milky Seaweed Soup Made with Fresh Jeju Seaweed
Milky Seaweed Soup Made with Fresh Jeju Seaweed
Recipe for Milky Seaweed Soup with Fresh Seaweed Harvested by Jeju’s Haenyeo Divers
Introducing a recipe for a milky, deeply flavored seaweed soup made with fresh seaweed harvested by Jeju’s haenyeo divers. This is a nostalgic dish often enjoyed even when it’s not a birthday, and it was so delicious I could eat it almost every day during breastfeeding. While seaweed soup is wonderful on its own, it also pairs wonderfully with ingredients like perilla powder, beef, or seafood, offering a variety of flavors. Seaweed, packed with oceanic nutrients, is rich in calcium, beneficial for bone health, and being low in calories and fat, it’s excellent for dieting. Furthermore, its abundant dietary fiber provides a feeling of fullness and promotes active bowel movements, helping to prevent constipation.
Main Ingredients- 1 pack fresh seaweed (Jeju haenyeo harvested fresh seaweed recommended)
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2-3 Tbsp soup soy sauce (or adjust to taste)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
For the best seaweed soup, prepare fresh seaweed harvested by Jeju’s haenyeo divers. High-quality seaweed will yield a milky and deep broth, even without additional ingredients. This recipe focuses on maximizing the flavor of fresh seaweed, inspired by Jeju’s Ttolbang Mom’s blog. The process of soaking the seaweed sufficiently in water is crucial. Fresh seaweed remains firm and plump even after soaking overnight, which is characteristic of its freshness. Ttolbang Mom recommends briefly blanching the washed seaweed, soaking it in water, refrigerating it, and then cooking it the next day. However, soaking and stir-frying it right away also results in delicious soup. Soaking it for a day after blanching enhances the flavor further.
Step 2
Heat a pot over medium-low heat, add a generous amount of sesame oil, and stir-fry the fresh seaweed until fragrant, being careful not to burn it. It’s important to stir-fry it until the nutty aroma of the sesame oil is well absorbed by the seaweed. Then, drizzle in the soup soy sauce (Joseon Ganjang) and stir-fry once more with the seaweed. This step allows the deep flavor of the soy sauce to penetrate the seaweed, creating an even more savory seaweed soup. This was a method my mother used when making seaweed soup, and it enhances the inherent taste of the seaweed.
Step 3
Instead of broth, pour in cold, plain water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for a long time. The longer it simmers, the more the nutrients and flavor of the seaweed will infuse into the broth, resulting in a richer and deeper taste.
Step 4
Seaweed soup has a charm that deepens with time. You’ll notice the color of the broth gradually deepening as it simmers, as the seaweed’s natural color infuses into the soup. This milky, rich broth, similar to bone broth, is a special characteristic of good quality seaweed.
Step 5
Surprisingly, even without meat or seafood, using only sesame oil, soup soy sauce, and plain water results in a milky, deep broth reminiscent of bone broth. All this profound flavor comes directly from the fresh seaweed. You can see how the inherent, rich flavor of the seaweed itself becomes a broth, a sight rarely seen with regular dried seaweed. The key to this recipe is achieving such a deep and rich flavor with just seaweed.
Step 6
The color of the fresh seaweed is clearly visible in the broth. The deepening color of the soup as it simmers is a characteristic seen only in fresh seaweed, especially high-quality seaweed harvested by hand. For the best flavor, it’s recommended to simmer for at least 40 minutes until it reaches a milky, bone broth-like consistency.
Step 7
Add the minced garlic in the final stage and bring to a boil once more. Finally, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed. I found the natural savory and slightly sweet flavor of the soup soy sauce sufficient, so I didn’t add extra seasoning. If the flavor is lacking, a little tuna extract can enhance the umami.
Step 8
This is the finished Milky Seaweed Soup, made solely with fresh seaweed, harvested by Jeju’s haenyeo divers. It’s a pure seaweed soup that highlights the natural flavors of the ingredients.
Step 9
Seaweed soup is a great dish for consuming plenty of seaweed. Seaweed is not only healthy but also low in calories, making it a popular diet food. There are even stories of celebrities maintaining their figures through seaweed diets. The seaweed in this soup is wonderfully crisp and chewy. Despite being soaked overnight and simmered for a long time, it doesn’t become mushy or slimy at all, retaining its chewy texture, which makes it enjoyable to eat. The freshness, possibly enhanced by its Jeju origin, makes it taste even better. I was quite satisfied just eating the seaweed itself.
Step 10
I love rice, so after eating the seaweed, I mixed rice into the remaining broth. I was surprised that such a clean, mild, savory, deep, and nutty flavor could be achieved without meat or perilla powder. I never knew seaweed held such diverse flavors. From now on, I’ll make seaweed soup by adding only fresh seaweed and nothing else, to enjoy its pure and clean taste. It makes my body feel comfortable and cleansed from the inside. I highly recommend you try making this healthy and delicious seaweed soup with fresh seaweed harvested by Jeju’s haenyeo divers, especially since it’s in season. You will experience a flavor different from any seaweed soup you’ve had before.
