What are Perilla Seeds (Deulkkae) ?
Perilla seeds (들깨 Deul-kkae) which are harvested from the perilla plant are different from sesame seeds - both in shape and flavor. They are darker and round in shape compared to the pale, flat sesame seeds. Flavor wise, perilla seeds have minty basil-like flavor.
Perilla seeds are usually consumed not as whole seeds but as ground perilla seeds (deul-kkae garu 들깨가루).
Perilla seeds and the seed powder add a great punch of flavor to some Korean dishes like namul, guk and jjigae but not everyone loves the flavor right away and find it a bit too strong. So try
Not To Be Confused With
sesame seeds
Where and What To Buy
Korean grocery stores or online on my Amazon store.
Look to buy Roasted Perilla seeds whole or as powder
- 볶은 들깨 Bokkeun Deulkkae or Roasted Perilla Seeds
- 볶은 들깨가루 Bokkeun Deulkkae Garu (powder)
Roasted seeds have much more flavor than raw.
How to Use/Cook
Ground Roasted Perilla Seeds (Bokkeun Deulkkae Garu) or Roasted Perilla Seed powder are mostly used in Korean recipes but sometimes whole roasted perilla seeds can be sprinkled on top as a garnish.
The ground seeds add great minty herby anise like flavor to Namuls, stews like Gamjatang and it can be added to Kalguksu 칼국수 or Sujebi 수제비 to make Deulkkae Kalguksu 들깨칼국수 and 들깨수제비.
How to Clean/Store
Store perilla seeds in the pantry or in a dry and cool place in a container. It will keep fresh for a year.
How To Grow
Perilla is quite easy to grow and once you plant, it is self-seeding so it will grow like a weed in many areas. And in fact is classified as a weed in some regions.
The seeds set in after it flowers in late summer or fall. You can then dry the flower stems then shake the seeds off to harvest them.
You can read more about how to grow this wonderful plant in my 9 Korean Vegetables to grow post.
Nutrition/Health Info
Perilla has great health benefits – very high in Omega 3 and also contains Omega 6 and Omega 9 fatty acids.
"Perilla oil (made from seeds) suppresses the production of chemical mediator in the allergy and inflammatory responses. These essential fatty acids have been associated with benefits in a wide range of inflammatory conditions, heart diseases, colitis/Crohn’s disease, asthma, allergies, antimicrobial, anticancer etc. Perilla is also used for nausea, sunstroke, to induce sweating and as an antispasmodic."
