Seaweed Soup

This is one of my all-time favorite soups. I make a big batch and eat it all week to celebrate a birthday or to ward off a cold. The seaweed is filled with great umami flavor, plus it has such a soft, supple texture. For this dish, look for the words ito-wakame or wakame on the seaweed package. (They are Japanese terms, and the Korean variety always comes with quotation marks around these words.) It is very important to soak it in warm water for at least 10 minutes before you