The Easiest Broth-Based Korean Seaweed Soup (Miyeok-guk)
Stop guessing which seaweed to buy at the market. This 2-serving Korean Seaweed Soup (Miyeok-guk) uses a perfectly portioned pack of Silky Sea Mustard—silky, clean, no prep stress. A delicious, postpartum-friendly, birthday-tradition dish ready to deeply nourish.
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.
Ancestral Bone Broth: Simple, Mineral-Rich Nourishment for the Whole Family
A simple, ancestral bone broth made from grass-fed, grass-finished beef bones. This traditional staple has nourished families for centuries and remains one of the most grounding, mineral-rich foods you can make at home.
Oxtail with Homemade Broth From Quality Beef
SOURCING NOTE
“For centuries, people drew strength from mineral-rich foods like bone broth… But industrial farming, soil depletion, and food refinement have stripped away the nutrients that once kept us resilient and calm.”
— Jordan Rubin, The Biblio Diet
Many store-bought broths today are not made from 100% grass-fed, grass-finished bones. Often they rely on powders, hides, or lower-quality inputs and also include preservatives / processing aids (chemicals) that don’t align with traditional preparation methods / my gut health needs.
MEAT STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE
I choose to source directly from local farmers whose practices & animal feed align with my values—because quality of every bite matters, especially since nourishment & gut healing is priority for my growing family.
Grass-fed + Grass-finished Beef Bone (always) —
“You are what your food eats too.”
Hawaiian Island friends: Sugar Hill Farmstead is offering a limited-time first-order discount with code MUMWITHABUN25 should you be interested in ordering meat directly from the farmers I have connected extensively with to ensure their practices and beef is quality I can trust. I hope this helps you and your family get some quality meat into your day ♡
BEEF BROTH RECIPE
Ingredients
6-7 beef marrow bones (grass-fed & grass-finished)
Option: bake them & hollow them out first (See here: make the most of the marrow!)
Filtered water
Method
Place bones in a large pot, filling about ¼–⅓ of the pot with bones.
Add filtered water, leaving 1–2 inches of space at the top.
Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
Cover, reduce to low, and simmer 4–5 hours
(or 1 hour using a pressure cooker - see note at the end for how I do this).Check occasionally (ever hour or so) to ensure bones remain submerged, adding water as needed.
That’s it.
Note: We’re using high-quality bones, so I don’t skim anything off to toss/trash it. What you’ll see are bits of marrow, connective tissue, and gelatin—exactly what we want.
How I Reuse the Bones
The solidified grass-fed & finished beef fat (tallow) is incredible in quality & value. I do not recommend using/saving animal fat if it’s not high quality.
After the first batch:
Refrigerate the whole pot.
Break off the solidified fat, store, and reuse it as cooking fat (especially healthy for you as long as you are using quality bones as mentioned!)
Ladle the broth into glass airtight jars. Leave bones in pot.
Refill the pot with filtered water and repeat for a second extraction. This is what my Korean mum taught me to do!
(known as remouillage in French cooking)Or pressure cook bones submerged in water for 1 hour with seaweed for a Korean-style seaweed soup!
How to Use Broth
Sprinkle it with a bit of sea salt and now it directly lowers excess stress hormones.
Sip warm like tea (especially in the morning)
Soup base for:
Korean Seaweed Soup
Korean Rice Cake Soup
Korean Kalbi Tang
Replace water with broth when cooking beans, grains, or vegetables (option to use it in sweet cooking/baking too!)
Storage & Reheating
Fridge: Keep the defatted broth in airtight glass containers in the fridge for 3-7 days.
Freezer: Ladle into freezer-safe glass containers - lasts 7 months - 12 months.
““Bones are literally the gift that keeps on giving.””
Homemade Broth FAQ
Q: Which bones do you use?
A: This recipe uses marrow bones because I’m sharing how I cook through a cow share, and that’s what came with mine. Marrow bones are actually my personal favorite because I can get multiple uses from one bag.
I first roast the bones, scoop out the marrow (I use it for cooking and marrow “lollipops” for my kids), and then use the hollowed bones to make broth.
If you’re using other bones, this recipe still works beautifully. Knuckle and joint bones are especially great if your main goal is maximizing gelatin. That said, some people—especially those prone to kidney stones—do better keeping very high gelatin intake moderate.
For these reasons, I’m using marrow bones after removing the marrow — a balanced option.
Q: What do you do with the tallow?
A: We use grass-fed, grass-finished tallow for almost all of our cooking and baking.
Tallow:
Is very stable at high heat and doesn’t oxidize like seed oils
Contains fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and CLA when sourced from grass-fed beef
Has a high smoke point (around 400–420°F or higher)
Outside of what comes from our cow shares, the only tallow I use is 100% grass-fed and tested for contaminants from Lineage (linked here).
Q: Do you have a link to these containers?
A: Yes! These are the glass jars with glass lids that I use to store broth. We’ve used this exact brand for over 6 years. They hold just over 2 cups—just be sure to leave a little space at the top before freezing, since liquid expands.
If you prefer plastic lids on the same jars for convenience, I’m linking those as well.
Q: How do you store this?
Fridge: Store defatted broth in airtight glass containers for 3–7 days
Freezer: Freeze in glass containers for 7–12 months
Q: Why is your broth white? I see brown ones at the market!
A: There are several interpretations of what “broth” means. What I make is rooted in my Korean ancestral way of preparing broth, which traditionally results in a lighter, milky-white color.
This comes from:
Long, gentle simmering
Emulsification of minerals, gelatin, and any remaining fats ♡
Most store-bought “broth” is closer to a meat stock—darker, roasted, and likely clarified for consistency and shelf stability. Neither version is “wrong”; they’re just different traditions and there are different intentions.
Bone Marrow Honey Lollipops (2 Ingredients) + How to Reuse the Bones for Gut-Healing Broth
These bone marrow honey lollipops use just two ingredients and turn nutrient-dense marrow into a kid-loved, gut-supportive treat—plus how to reuse the roasted bones for bone broth.
Bone Marrow Honey Lollipops
(2 Ingredients)
My bone marrow & honey lollipops are a simple, ancestral-inspired way to make bone marrow approachable for babies/kids and let’s face it adults could use some ancestral inspo too (;
Roasting the marrow first removes any raw flavor, enhances the sweetness, and creates a smooth, scoopable texture that blends / whips beautifully with honey.
My method also lets you reuse the roasted bones to make deeply nourishing bone broth the next day—truly zero waste.
Ingredients
4 Beef Marrow Bones
(100% grass-fed/finished, highly recommended - See “Beef Quality” Note Below for Sourcing)1-3 TBSP Raw Honey (sweetness level is up to you - most prefer a 1:1 ratio of marrow:honey while I prefer 1.5 TBSP to 4 Beef Marrow Bones for a subtle touch)
Step-by-Step: How to Roast Bone Marrow for Lollipops
1) Preheat the Oven
Preheat oven to 450°F
Line a baking sheet with nontoxic parchment or use a cast iron skillet.
2) Roast the Marrow
Place marrow bones on the baking sheet. (cut-side up if using canoe cut)
Roast uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
What to look for:
Marrow should be soft, glossy, slightly brown/crispy, and scoopable
It should not be bubbling aggressively or browned. Neither should it be pink/red inside when you scoop it.
If marrow is still firm/red, return to oven in 5-minute increments.
3) Cool Slightly
Remove bones from oven.
Let cool 15 minutes until warm but safe to handle with bare hands.
This prevents honey from melting & from the raw honey properties from being damaged when mixed.
4) Scoop the Marrow
Use a spoon to scoop marrow into a glass bowl.
Mash/mix/whip until fluffy/smooth.
You should have a buttery, spreadable consistency.
5) Mix with Honey
Add raw honey to taste (start 1-2 TBSP and adjust - most like a 1:1 ratio of marrow:honey).
Stir until fully combined.
The honey:
Naturally sweetens
Preserves the mixture
Makes it kid-palatable
6) Mold the Lollipops
Spoon mixture into silicone molds.
Insert lollipop sticks.
Level the tops with a spoon.
7) Chill to Set
Refrigerate 1–2 hours, or until firm.
Once set, unmold and enjoy.
How to Store Bone Marrow Honey Lollipops
Refrigerator
Store in an airtight container
Lasts 7–10 days
Freezer
Freeze solid, then transfer to freezer bag
Keeps up to 3 months
Option to melt the whipped honey marrow “butter” into warm, savory dishes (i.e. beef stir-fry, bean stews, etc)
How To Reuse Roasted Bones for Meat Stock & Bone Broth
Roasted bones are excellent for broth and produce a deeper, richer flavor.
Simple Stock Instructions
Meat Stock: especially helpful for those struggling with histamine intolerance, but are open to using gut healthy stock to start their gut healing journey.
Place roasted marrow bones in a large pot along with a meatier cut like osso bucco / oxtail.
Cover with cold filtered water.
Bring to a gentle simmer.
Simmer 2 hours on low.
Store in refrigerator.
Next day, scrape off the tallow (hardened disc that floats to the top) and use it as an extremely rich, nutriend-dense, and delicious cooking oil!
Simple Broth Instructions
“Bone broth”: especially helpful for those NOT struggling with high histamine, but open to using gelatin-rich broth to start their gut healing journey.
Place roasted marrow bones in a large pot.
Cover generously with cold filtered water.
Bring to a gentle simmer.
Simmer 12–24 hours on low. Intermittently pour in more filtered water to keep bones completely submerged (a lot will evaporate so keep checking in)
Store in refrigerator.
Next day, scrape off the tallow (hardened, wax-y disc that floats to the top - do not discard!) and use it as an extremely rich, nutrient-dense, and delicious cooking oil!
Meat Quality is Everything: Source Well
We are what we eat ate. And what was put into them. Antibiotics put into animals impacts our gut health and is tied to antibiotic resistance as well as other health issues.
“The diet of animals we eat has a bearing on the nutritional quality and healthfulness of the food itself”
Here is where you can locate some grass-fed / regenerative farms local to you if you want to begin your own search for sourcing quality beef bones and meat you can trust.
Why Bone Marrow + Honey Is Gut-Healing & Immune-Supportive
Bone marrow provides fats, collagen compounds, and fat-soluble nutrients that support gut lining integrity.
Honey contains natural enzymes and prebiotic compounds that support digestion.
Roasting improves digestibility and flavor without destroying nutrients.
Combining fat + natural sweetness increases nutrient absorption and acceptance in kids.
Final Notes
This is a treat-sized nutrient boost, not candy.
Great for:
Elevating savory dishes
Cooling down hot soups / stews
Immune-supportive snacking
Transitioning kids to savory foods
Roasting marrow bones makes the marrow scoopable, mild, lightly sweet, and kid-friendly, and you can totally reuse the roasted bones for broth with amazing results!
With 4 marrow bones, I made (using the resulting whipped marrow, broth, and tallow):
- 12 Bone Marrow Honey Lollis (marrow)
- 6+ servings of Korean Rice Cake Soup (broth)
- 4 servings of beef stir fry (tallow)