Seaweed Soup: A Simple and Satisfying Dish with Marrow Bones
Seaweed soup with marrow bones is a delicious way to nourish yourself post-birth. This soup is a traditional Korean dish that is eaten by new mothers and on birthdays. It’s made with seaweed, marrow broth, herbs and mushrooms, and is loaded with health benefits.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I learned about the Korean tradition of postpartum care, which is called samchilil. It means “21 days” and it refers to the period of rest and recovery that mothers go through after giving birth. In Korea, they have special postpartum hotels where mothers, babies and sometimes partners can stay up to a few weeks. They are pampered with massages, herbal baths, baby care and most importantly, wholesome foods. Although I prefer to rest and recover at home and keep my babies close to me, I admire the Korean culture for valuing the needs of new mothers and providing them with such nurturing care.
One of the staple dishes that mothers eat during this time is seaweed soup or miyeokguk. It’s a simple but comforting soup made with seaweed, beef or seafood broth, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil. It’s rich in iodine, calcium and iron that help with milk production and tissue repair.
I decided to make a version of seaweed soup for my postpartum recovery. I added some marrow bones to the broth for extra collagen and gelatin and medicinal herbs for extra warming and calming support. It’s a delicious and satisfying soup I enjoyed for several weeks after giving birth. I hope you will try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I did. Whether you are a new mother or not, this soup is good for your health and soul.
Seaweed Soup’s Main Ingredients
There are many ways to make seaweed soup, and every family has their recipe. I adapted mine from the beautiful book “The First 40 Days” by Amely Greevan, Heng Ou, and Marisa Belger, which is full of nourishing recipes for new mothers. The main ingredients are:
Seaweed
I use dried seaweed that I buy from an Asian grocery store. I chose a Korean variety called miyeok, but you can use any seaweed you like, such as Japanese wakame. If you live near the coast and can get fresh seaweed, that would be even better!
Marrow Bones
I get these from my butcher, who cuts them into small pieces for me. Marrow bones are usually sold as dog bones, but they are great (and cheap, cheap, cheap) for making broth. They are very high in collagen and gelatin, which make the broth thick and gelatinous. They also contain blood-building nutrients that are especially helpful if you have lost a lot of blood during birth.
Shiitake Mushrooms
These delicious mushrooms add a savoury umami flavour to the soup. They also have amazing health benefits, such as boosting the immune system and preventing viral infections. This is important for both you and your baby, as you are most vulnerable in those beginning few weeks post-birth.
Chinese Red Dates (Jujubes)
Jujubes are commonly used in Asian medicine for balancing formulas due to their mild sweet taste. They have a calming effect on the nervous system and the spirit, and they promote rest. All in all making them a perfect addition to the post-partum kitchen cabinet. They can be added to teas, broths, stews or soups.
Soy Sauce and Fish Sauce
These are the seasonings that give the soup its salty and savoury taste. They also enhance the umami flavour of the mushrooms and the seaweed.

Mama’s Marrow and Seaweed Soup
Seaweed Soup Ingredients
For the marrow broth:
- 1.5 kg of marrow bones, cut into 5 cm pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- Filtered water
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 10 Chinese red dates (also known as Jujubes)
- 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
For the seaweed soup:
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of unrefined sea salt
- 2 tablespoons of naturally fermented fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 30 g of dried seaweed
- 1 kg of beef brisket, cut into 2 cm cubes
Seaweed Soup Method
To make the marrow broth:
- Place all the ingredients for the broth in a large Instant Pot bowl (I have a 5.5-litre capacity pot). Cover with filtered water so that your ingredients have at least one centimetre of water covering them.
- Turn to sealing mode and use the soup or broth function. Cook for six hours. If you have an older machine, it might max out at two hours, so you’ll need to reset it three times to get the full six hours. Once done, strain through a fine sieve. You can add a layer of muslin or cheesecloth to get a really nice clarified broth.
- Pour into heat-resistant glass jars. Allow to cool and then pop in the refrigerator so that the fat solidifies and you can remove it. I always reserve this fat to make tallow balm. Once you have removed the fat, your broth is ready to make seaweed soup.
To make the seaweed soup:
- Place the dried seaweed in a medium-sized bowl. Cover with filtered water and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop your onions and garlic. In a large cast iron pot, sauté the onions in two tablespoons of sesame oil until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Empty the pot and set the onion and garlic mixture aside.
- Add some more sesame oil to the same pot. Add cubes of beef brisket and lightly brown on all sides. You may need to do this in batches to not overcrowd the meat so you get a nice sear.
- Return all the browned meat to the pot, add the onion and garlic mixture, drained seaweed, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt and 3 litres of marrow broth to a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer and cook covered for 50 minutes.
How to Serve and Enjoy the Soup
This soup is so easy to make and store. You can make a big batch and freeze it in portions. Then, you can heat a cup of soup whenever you need a nourishing snack or a light meal. It’s perfect for those busy days of round-the-clock breastfeeding and caring for your baby.
You can also enjoy this soup as part of an Asian-inspired postpartum meal tray. I like to serve it with steamed rice, braised pig trotters, soft-boiled eggs and kimchi. These are all delicious and nutritious foods that help with postpartum recovery. They are also easy to prepare ahead of time and reheat when needed. All my husband or my mum – who are my support people throughout the first 3 weeks of postpartum – need to do is boil some eggs, steam some rice and reheat the other dishes.
This soup is very versatile and adaptable. You can add or omit any ingredients you like, depending on your taste and availability. You can also adjust the seasoning to your preference. Some people like to add more garlic, ginger, sesame oil or red pepper flakes for more flavour and spice. You can also use chicken, pork or seafood broth instead of beef broth.

Mama’s Marrow and Seaweed Soup
Seaweed soup with marrow bones is a delicious way to nourish yourself post-birth. This soup is a traditional Korean dish that is eaten by new mothers and on birthdays. It’s made with seaweed, marrow broth, herbs and mushrooms, and is loaded with health benefits.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg of marrow bones, cut into 5 cm pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- Filtered water
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 10 Chinese red dates (also known as Jujubes)
- 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of unrefined sea salt
- 2 tablespoons of naturally fermented fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 30 g of dried seaweed
- 1 kg of beef brisket, cut into 2 cm cubes
Instructions
To make the marrow broth:
- Place all the ingredients for the broth in a large Instant Pot bowl (I have a 5.5-litre capacity pot). Cover with filtered water so that your ingredients have at least one centimetre of water covering them.
- Turn to sealing mode and use the soup or broth function. Cook for six hours. If you have an older machine, it might max out at two hours, so you’ll need to reset it three times to get the full six hours. Once done, strain through a fine sieve. You can add a layer of muslin or cheesecloth to get a really nice clarified broth.
- Pour into heat-resistant glass jars. Allow to cool and then pop in the refrigerator so that the fat solidifies and you can remove it. I always reserve this fat to make tallow balm. Once you have removed the fat, your broth is ready to make seaweed soup.
To make the seaweed soup:
- Place the dried seaweed in a medium-sized bowl. Cover with filtered water and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop your onions and garlic. In a large cast iron pot, sauté the onions in two tablespoons of sesame oil until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Empty the pot and set the onion and garlic mixture aside.
- Add some more sesame oil to the same pot. Add cubes of beef brisket and lightly brown on all sides. You may need to do this in batches to not overcrowd the meat so you get a nice sear.
- Return all the browned meat to the pot, add the onion and garlic mixture, drained seaweed, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt and 3 litres of marrow broth to a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer and cook covered for 50 minutes.