Korean Radish Soup (Mu Guk)
Sep 20, 2021 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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This healthy Korean Radish Soup or Mu Guk recipe is an easy and satisfying vegan dish of daikon radish in a savory kombu-garlic broth made with green onion, garlic, and sesame seeds.
What Makes This Recipe Great
A deeply savory, comforting Korean soup that is full of flavor and so delicious. It’s traditionally made as a beef and radish soup, but when your broth is packed with hearty flavors and umami, you won’t miss the meat!
This vegan version is an easy Korean radish soup (Mu Guk) that is full of hearty daikon radish, bright green onions, and plenty of antioxidant-rich garlic for good measure. It’s a great alternative to potato soup as the texture is similar to a tender cooked-down potato. Yum!
Got leftovers? Great! This delicious soup often tastes better on the second day, as the flavors meld together overnight.
And if you love vegan Korean soup like this, be sure to try my recipe for Vegan Dduk Guk and Korean Rice Cake Soup.
How to Make Vegan Korean Radish Soup
Are you ready for a short and sweet ingredient list and recipe? This Korean soup is fast and easy to make and always hits the spot when you’re looking for something warming that comes together in a pinch and in just one pot.
Ingredient Notes
This soup is simple to make and doesn’t require many ingredients. It gets its incredible flavour primarily from the radish! Here’s what you’ll need to pull together this simple and delicious Korean soup.
- Korean radish: Also known as daikon, these are big, heavy white radishes with a mild flavor. They add heft to the soup and are the base for the broth flavour! Make sure to choose the correct variety, as regular radishes are sharp and spicy and will not taste the same.
- Kelp: Look for dried kombu sheets to flavor the broth in this soup. You can find them in many grocery stores and Asian stores for sure.
- Green onion: This adds brightness to the bowl.
- Soy sauce: I use gluten-free tamari to flavor this soup. If you are not gluten-free, feel free to substitute regular or low-sodium soy sauce.
- Sesame oil: You just need a bit of sesame oil to really bring the nutty, toasty flavor out.
- Sesame seeds: For garnish and an extra dose of sesame flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Peel and slice your radish, then dice into triangle shapes.
- Bring a pot to medium-high heat, add sesame oil, and sauté radish for 2-3 minutes, until more translucent in color. Next, add green onions and sauté for another few minutes, until fragrant.
- Add your kombu piece, dried shiitake mushroom, garlic, and then water or veggie broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 12-15 minutes, until radish is tender.
- Finally, ad soy sauce and salt to taste and let simmer for 3 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, extra white or black pepper, and fresh green onion.
Expert Tips
- Make sure you’re using a large Korean or Asian radish versus a smaller spicy radish because the soup needs sweetness.
- You can find this variety of daikon radishes easily at Asian grocery stores.
- Typically this popular Korean soup is filled with beef brisket, but my version is vegan! You honestly won’t miss the beef, because this soup is packed with deep umami flavor.
Serving Tips
To keep this Korean soup plant-based, I of course omitted the beef that’s in most traditional Korean recipes. However, if you’d like to give your mu guk a boost of protein while still keeping things vegan, you certainly can! Sauté your vegan “beef” alongside your radish.
Try adding:
- Tofu
- A vegan beef alternative
- Seitan (if you’re not gluten-free)
Storage Tips
- Store leftover mu guk in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Warm over the stovetop or microwave and serve.
- To freeze, store in an airtight, freezer-safe container. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.
Recipe FAQs
You can easily use this Korean soup recipe for healthy meal prep. Simply prepare a big batch of the soup, let it cool then divide it between meal prep containers. The soup will stay fresh for up to four days in an airtight container in the fridge. Then, when you’re ready to eat, simply reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.
Yes! Korean radishes have tons of vitamins and nutrients that have tons of health benefits. It’s nourishing and comforting, and with added tofu, is full of protein as well.
More Delicious Korean Soup Recipes
Korean Kale and White Bean Soup
Korean Radish Soup (Mu Guk)
Ingredients
- 4 cups korean radish daikon
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 6 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 post-it note sized piece of kelp/dashi kombu
- 1 dried shiitake mushroom
- 3 green onions sliced diagonally
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tsp salt more to taste
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- optional
- vegan "beef" alternative*
- sesame seeds for garnish
- fresh green onion sliced
Instructions
- Peel and slice your radish, then dice into triangle shapes.
- Bring a pot to medium high heat, add sesame oil and sauté radish for 2-3 minutes, until more translucent in colour. Next add green onions and sauté for another few minutes, until fragrant.
- Add your kombu piece, dried shiitake mushroom, garlic and then water or veggie broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 12-15 minutes, until radish is tender.
- Finally, ad soy sauce and salt to taste and let simmer for 3 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, extra white or black pepper and fresh green onion.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Make sure you're using a large Korean or Asian radish versus a smaller spicy radish because the soup needs sweetness.
- You can find this variety of daikon radishes easily at Asian grocery stores.
- Typically this popular Korean soup is filled with beef brisket, but my version is vegan! You honestly won’t miss the beef, because this soup is packed with deep umami flavor.
Serving Tips
To keep this Korean soup recipe plant-based, I of course omitted the beef that's in most traditional Korean recipes. However, if you'd like to give your mu guk a boost of protein while still keeping things vegan, you certainly can! Sauté your vegan "beef" alongside your radish. Try adding:- Tofu
- A vegan beef alternative
- Seitan (if you're not gluten-free)
Storage Tips
- Store leftover mu guk in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Warm over the stovetop or microwave and serve.
- To freeze, store in an airtight, freezer-safe container. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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