For the broth and water, I just use 4 cups of water with a teaspoon of Better than Bouillon chicken base. I've used canned chicken broth and water and it comes out fine as well, but be careful, lots of canned broth has MSG. This recipe is extremely quick to make. The longest step is bringing the water to a boil. The seaweed is the same as used for sushi and is pretty widely available. Everyone likes this soup, but it's a special favorite of Alli's.