How to make Korean oyster, seaweed and rice soup, or gul guk bap
- The best thing about this delicious dish is that it only takes about 20 minutes to prepare
- The only ingredient that might be hard to find, even at a Korean shop, is fulvescens seaweed
This Korean dish of oyster, seaweed and rice soup is something I make when I’m dining alone, because I’m the only one in my household that likes oysters. It’s delicious, and takes only about 20 minutes to prepare, including thawing the oysters (I use frozen ones). It’s easy enough to increase the quantities to feed more; the cooking time is the same and you’ll just need a larger pot.
If you have a good source of fresh oysters, preferably small ones such as kumamotos, then by all means use them, but the soup will be expensive. I use frozen oysters, which are far more economical and convenient because you can keep them on hand; Korean ones are the right size at about 3cm.
Look for them in shops that sell frozen seafood, dumplings and fish and seafood balls. Shucked oysters packaged in plastic tubs and stored in the refrigerated sections of supermarkets can also work, although they tend to be quite large so you’ll need fewer of them.
Gul guk bap
For many of the soup ingredients, you’ll need to visit a Korean grocery shop or order online. The only ingredient that might be hard to find, even at a Korean shop, is fulvescens seaweed – a very fine, hair-like variety that is sold frozen or dried (frozen is better). If you can’t find it, substitute thin shreds of kelp or a handful of shredded, unseasoned nori seaweed (it’s not the same thing, though).
Korean soup stock bags contain ingredients such as dried anchovy and kelp. Unlike Japanese dashi bags, the ingredients in Korean soup bags tend to be whole, rather than powdered, and need to be simmered for longer. If you substitute a dashi bag, add it with the kelp and remove it at the same time.
Korean brined shrimp (saeujeot) are tiny and come in jars. Soup soy sauce is pale in colour and is saltier and has more umami than regular soy sauce. If you can’t find saeujeot or soup soy sauce, substitute Korean anchovy sauce or Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce, adding it to taste.
If you don’t want rice, just leave it out – this version of the soup is called gul guk.
