• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to footer-bottom navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Kimchimari

Authentic Korean recipes even YOU can cook!

Free Korean BBQ Cookbook! TAP HERE to GET IT
POPULAR: our 10 takeout favorites
Facebook YouTube Instagram Pinterest Twitter

Authentic Korean Recipes Anyone Can Cook

  • New to Korean cooking? Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Recipes by Alphabet
    • Latest on the Blog
  • Ingredients
    • Korean Ingredient Glossary
    • Pantry Essentials
    • Pantry – Beyond Essentials
    • Korean Ingredients in Depth
  • How To
    • Cooking Basics + Tips
    • Buy + Use
    • Meal Plan
    • Make from scratch
    • Korean Veg Garden
  • Travel
  • Videos
    • Video Recipes
    • Web Stories
  • About
    • About Me
    • Press Interviews and Mentions
  • New to Korean cooking? Start Here
  • SHOP
  • Free Korean BBQ Cookbook! TAP HERE to GET IT
  • Facebook YouTube Instagram Pinterest Twitter
Home All Categories Recipe Round-Up

How to eat Perilla – 16 ways to enjoy them in Korean cooking!

Posted:8/15/201721 Comments
16 perilla recipes pin

 

collage image of korean recipes using Perilla
16 Ways to Eat Perilla Leaves

16 Perilla recipes – how to eat and enjoy them!

Perilla leaf  is in full season now and I wanted to quickly share tips on how to eat or use them in your everyday Korean cooking. Perilla is such a versatile ingredient in Korean cooking and if you can’t buy them, it is quite easy to grow them so you may want to try that.

  • English name: Perilla leaves
  • Korean name: Kkaennip 깻잎
  • Scientific name: P. Frutescens
  • Other name: Sesame leaves – this must have come from a direct translation of Kkae 깨 which means “sesame” and 잎 which means “leaves”. Perilla and Sesame are two totally different plants so it is basically incorrect.
  • Uses: Sometimes it is used like an herb, sometimes it is used like a lettuce and then sometimes it can be just a regular vegetable. I think I have to say it is one of my most favorite Korean vegetable.
  • How to grow Perilla – you can grow them easily in pots or in your garden. Grows well in warm weather and best in partial shade if the sun is really strong like in California. It’s also best to plant them directly and not transplant. Seeds are sold at Korean grocers, online on Amazon (here) or other seed companies like Kitazawa Seed Company. Once you have fully grown plants, you can harvest seeds for next year!!

Perilla vs Sesame vs Shiso leaves, aren’t they the same thing?

No, they are not. Both Korean Kkaennip (Perilla) and Japanese  Shiso are of the same genus Perilla and same species Perilla frutescens BUT they are of a different variety.  Japanese Shiso’s trinomial name is Perilla frutescens var. crispa whereas Korean Kkaennip just has a binomial name of Perilla Frutescens. They also look different. Japanese shiso leaves have a lot more jagged edges around the leaf and the flavor is stronger.

Sesame plant belong to the genus Sesamum and so is completely different from a Perilla plant. Sesame seeds are harvested from the plant (see below) but the leaves are not eaten.

The picture below shows sesame pods (the short greenish ones) that I collected while on a walk in Pangyo, Korea in 2014.

Mung Bean and Sesame Pods
Mung Bean and Sesame Pods
Sesame Seed pods close up
Sesame Seed pods close up

Perilla plant and seeds look quite different from sesame. Their seeds form inside each flower pod after they turn brown like below.

Korean Perilla Seed Pods
Korean Perilla Seed Pods

The taste is also quite different too, perilla leaves and seeds belong to the mint family and have a minty licorice kind of a taste to them in addition to the nutty flavor. Below are seeds (ddeulkkae 들깨) harvested from my garden several years ago.

Perilla seeds from just 4 plants!
Perilla seeds from just 4 plants!

Where to use Ddeulkkae Garu?

Perilla seeds are ground up to make Deulkkae Garu (들깨가루) which can be used to add wonderful nuttiness to dishes like namul or tang (soups). I don’t use it a lot in my recipes because it is bit of an acquired taste and also is not an ingredient that is readily available in many markets.

But the leaf is an indispensable ingredient in Korean cooking but for those of you who are not too familiar with them, it can stump you a little bit so here are 10 ways to enjoy them~

1. Make Ssam – wrap rice with it!

The most common and easiest way to enjoy Perilla is to use as a Ssam ingredient. Read some of my posts below:


  • my comprehensive list of leaves used for Ssam

Lettuce, crown dasies, perilla leaves - ssukat, kkaetnip
Ssam (ssukat, kkaetnip, lettuce)
  • 3 easy ssambap recipes

  • Korean ssambap lettuce wrap perilla, kale, cabbage, squash leaves
    Korean ssambap lettuce wrap perilla, kale, cabbage, squash leaves

    2. Make Perilla and Green Onion Salad – Sangchoo Kkaennip Pa Moochim 상추깻잎파무침

    Easy and quick salad that goes really well with Korean BBQ.

    Korean Perilla Green Onion Salad (깻잎상추파무침)
    Korean Perilla Green Onion Salad (깻잎상추파무침)

    3. Make Namul!

    Kkaennip namul 깻잎 나물 is a great way to use a lot of perilla leaves. Great on bibimbap too.

    Perilla Kkaetnip Namul
    Perilla Kkaetnip Namul

    4. Make stuffed perilla leaves (kkaennip jeon) –

    Korean beef patties (Wanja Jeon) and beef wrapped in kkaetnip (Kkaetnip Jeon)
    Korean beef patties (완자전 Wanja Jeon) and beef wrapped in kkaetnip (깻잎전 Kkaetnip Jeon)

    5. Make Perilla Cabbage Pickle –

    You can make pickles with perilla leaves and cabbage in vinegar, salt and sugar.

    Korean perilla cabbage pickle in jar
    Korean perilla cabbage pickle in jar

    6. Make pickled perilla in soy sauce – Kkaennip Jangajji

    Perilla Leaves Pickled (Kkaennip Jangajji 깻잎 장아찌)
    Perilla Leaves Pickled (Kkaennip Jangajji 깻잎 장아찌)

    7. Use on your Bulgogi Rice bowl

    Perilla is probably one of the most commonly used herb-like ingredient in Korean cooking – next to garlic and green onions. They are great addition to any rice bowl dishes to brighten up the flavors.

    Bulgogi Rice Bowl with fresh Korean vegetables –

    Rice Bowl with Bulgogi and fresh greens
    Rice Bowl with Bulgogi and fresh greens

    8. Add to Hoedoepbap (Korean rice bowl with sashimi)

    Korean rice bowl with sashimi and greens, topped with gochujang sauce.

    Hoedeopbap with Salmon, Tuna, veggies and Gochujang Sauce
    Hoedeopbap with Salmon, Tuna, veggies and Gochujang Sauce

    9. Use Perilla to brighten flavors of meat dishes like Chuncheon Dakgalbi.

    Chuncheon Dakgalbi

    Chuncheon Dak Kalbi (춘천 닭갈비)
    Chuncheon Dak Kalbi (춘천 닭갈비)

    10. Add to Shabu Shabu Mille Feuille Nabe.

    Easy and pretty Shabu Shabu Mille Feuille Nabe with Perilla leaves. It’s a great dish to prepare ahead and surprise your guests!

    easy and pretty shabu shabu mille-feuille nabe - kimchimari.com
    easy and pretty shabu shabu mille feuille nabe

    11. Make Vegetable Tempura

    Just simply coat the perilla leaves in batter and deep fry for a special treat! Go to Vegetable Tempura Recipe.

    Perilla or Shiso and Ssukat leaves tempura on paper lined tray
    Vegetable Tempura (Shiso/Perilla leaves)

    12. Flavor Gamjatang

    Perilla leaves add great herbacious flavor and also helps to break up the fattiness in Gamjatang (Pork Neck Bone Stew).

    Close up of gamjatang in white bowl individual size
    Gamjatang Korean Pork Bone Stew

    13. STEAM Perilla LEAVES

    steamed perilla leaves plated on white dish with chopsticks
    Perilla Jjim with seasonings

    A great way to use up a lot of Perilla leaves is to make this incredible side dish that’s made by just simply cooking Perilla leaves in my wonderful seasoning sauce. Go to Perilla Jjim recipe.

    14. Add to Korean Style Shabu Shabu

    If you enjoy the last part of Korean Style Shabu Shabu where they cook the rice or noodles in leftover broth, you know how important Perilla is to this dish. Her’s my Shabu Shabu recipe.

    cooking vegetables in shabu shabu

    15. Garnish Dak Juk (Chicken Porridge)

    Similar to how Perilla adds great finishing touch to the shabu shabu porridge above, Kkaennip simply wakes up this amazing chicken porridge that my dad used to make. Go to Dak Juk recipe.

    dakjuk served in greenish earthen bowl topped with perilla leaf strips, green onions and sesame seeds
    Dakjuk (Korean Chicken Porridge) in bowl

    16. Topping for Dotori Muk

    Dotori Muk (acorn jelly) has quite a quiet flavor, so you need the punch of flavors from the sauce and the wonderful aroma of Perilla and Ssukat to make it all work! Here’s my Dotori Muk recipe.

    Hope you will try making some of these wonderful recipes soon.

    ENJOY~

    XOXO ❤

    JinJoo

    Similar Recipes

    • korean perilla cabbage pickle
      Korean Perilla Cabbage Pickle (Kkaetnip Yangbaechoo Chojeolim)
    • Perilla seeds from just 4 plants!
      Fall is here..and so are Perilla Seeds
    • A collage image of different kimchi dishes
      10 Delicious Ways to Eat Kimchi (includes Korean Recipes)
    • an array of korean cooking ingredients in bowls or just spread out on dark background
      Basic Korean pantry - list of essentials
    Previous Post
    Next Post

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Review Cancel reply

    I LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate this recipe:




    21 Comments
    1. PZ says

      Posted on 20 August 2023 at 10:34 am

      Thank you for these recipes. I have a bumper crop this year & needed some ideas. In the past I have made a pesto with them (but can’t remember now what I did as i improvised :-D!), then froze in small containers, have used them as wraps for a curried tofu salad (that’s insanely good), and chopped up with watermelon (or fruit salad), and as a green in a savory salad. It’s so versatile & easy to grow – tolerant whether hot or cold, wet or dry. Love it!

      Reply
      • JinJoo says

        Posted on 20 August 2023 at 10:40 am

        You are so welcome! Yes, you can basically use Perilla where you might want to use mint or sometimes basil. It definitely works well in Pesto. I love Perilla too!!

        Reply
    Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    JinJoo from KimchiMari

    Welcome

    Hi! I'm JinJoo! Thank you for visiting my Korean Food blog where I share detailed Authentic Korean recipes that even YOU can cook!

    My Story

    browse by type

    gf Gluten Free df Dairy Free pc Pressure Cooker Recipes vg Vegan lc low carb <30 30min or less kf Kid-Friendly ls low-salt
    • by Course
      • Drinks
      • Soup+Stew
      • Appetizers
      • Salads
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Desserts and Snacks
    • by Ingredient
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Rice
      • Noodles
      • Tofu
      • Vegetables
      • Egg
      • Paste/Sauces
    • by Korean Basics
      • Eumryo 음료
      • Bap 밥
      • Bokkeum 볶음
      • Gui 구이
      • Guk 국
      • Hangwa 한과
      • Jang 장
      • Jeon 전
      • Jeongol 전골
      • Jjigae 찌게
      • Jjim 찜
      • Jorim 조림
      • Kimchi 김치
      • Myeon 면
      • Namul 나물
      • Tteok 떡
    • by Type
      • Easy Meals
      • 30 Minutes or Less
      • Kid-Friendly
      • Lunchboxes
      • Condiments and Sauces
      • Cooking for One
      • Street food
      • Pressure Cooker Recipes
    Free Korean BBQ Favorites ebook
    free recipe book!

    Join to get my FREE cookbook + monthly newsletters + recipe updates!

    join now!

    Nutritional facts, MSG & gluten free

    Nutritional Facts in my recipe cards are provided PER SERVING and it’s an estimate and may not be accurate. Due to different brands of ingredients having different nutritional values, the values I provide here may be different from your preparation.

    – Gluten-Free recipe assumes you are using gluten-free soy sauce (since many soy sauces contain gluten or wheat) and/or gluten-free gochujang.

    – MSG & Corn Syrup FREE – these are never used in my recipes

    Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
    baked chicken on parchment paper with onions caramelized

    닭고기

    Chicken

    소고기

    Beef

    Spicy Pork BBQ - Korean Pork Bulgogi

    돼지고기

    Pork

    Garlic Scape Stir Fry with Shrimp (Maneuljjong Bokkeum 마늘쫑 볶음)

    해산물

    Seafood

    Soondubu Jjigae or Soft Tofu Stew

    두부

    Tofu

    곡식

    Rice

    READER FAVORITES

    Trending Now

    Mini Kimbap tray - kimbap two ways

    Mini Kimbap (Mayak Kimbap) with Carrot or Cucumber

    Chicken Bulgogi Rice

    Easy Chicken Bulgogi (Dak Bulgogi) for Korean BBQ

    After stew has boiled for 15 min with cheese melted on top

    Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)

    Korean Sweet Pancake - Hotteok/Hodduck (호떡) www.kimchimari.com

    Hotteok (호떡)- Korean Sweet Dessert Pancake

    featured on
    ny times logo
    • COOK
      • Recipe Index
      • Pantry Items
      • Videos
    • LEARN
      • Starter Guide
      • Korean How To’s
      • Travel
    join the kimchimari family
    Receive Free Cookbook and New Recipes by Email
    join now
    • Back to Top
    • About
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy
    © 2025 Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

    free recipe ebook!

    Get my FREE cookbook + newsletters + lessons!
    Choose all that you wish!
    Thank you for subscribing!
    • 720