One of my favorite Korean banchan – pickled perilla leaves recipe! It’s so delicious and addictive! You will be hooked instantly!
Today, I would like to share one of the classic Korean side dishes (banchan, 반찬), which is also one of my favorite side dishes. It’s Pickled Perilla Leaves (Kkaennip Jangajji, 깻잎 장아찌), also known as Perilla Kimchi (Kkaennip Kimchi, 깻잎 김치). These terms are used interchangeably on some occasions.
Kkaennip Jangajji (깻잎 장아찌) has a salty, slightly sweet and garlicky taste and is mainly seasoned with soy sauce. Kkaennip Kimchi (깻잎 김치), on the other hand, has a spicy and garlicky taste like Napa Cabbage Kimchi and is mainly seasoned with Korean chili flakes (Gochugaru, 고추가루).
I personally prefer the former version (Jangajji) of pickle but I also shared the Perilla Kimchi recipe in my banchan cookbook, for those of you like to pickle perilla that way.
Pickled perilla leaves side dish is one of the easiest Korean side dishes you can make. Using my recipe, you can prepare it within 10 mins. Though, you will have to wait at least overnight for it to properly get seasoned. I recommend you to eat this with some rice as on its own it will be too salty.
Most Koreans nickname this dish as a ‘rice stealer’ (Bap-Doduk, 밥-도둑), meaning you can consume rice easily and fast without you even knowing! I can totally relate to that!
A bowl of rice just accompanied by this delicious, aromatic and addictive side dish. Yum! My mouth is watering again. 🙂 I hope you get to experience this and like it too!
OTHER QUICK PICKLE RECIPES
If you love pickles, you should try these recipes. They are so easy to make and make a great side dish to any Korean meal!
Ingredients for Pickled Perilla Leaves
Main
- 32 large perilla leaves (98g / 3.5 ounces)
Seasoning Sauce (mix these in a medium-sized bowl)
- 10 Tbsp soy sauce, regular (I use naturally brewed kikkoman soy sauce.)
- 1 tsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp spring onion, finely chopped
- (Optional) 2 Tbsp green chilies or red chilies, finely chopped
* 1 Tbsp = 15 ml
How to Make Pickled Perilla Leaves
1. Rinse the perilla leaves in cold running water and drain/air dry them while left in the colander.
2. While waiting for the perilla leaves to dry, prepare the seasoning sauce.
3. Place the perilla leaves in stacks in a large (glass) container (with a lid). Spread (about 1 Tbsp worth of) seasoning sauce on top of the perilla leaf. Repeat this process for every 3 leaves for the rest of leaves.
As it is already stacked, you will have to lift the leaves at every third interval with one hand while the other hand is spreading the sauce. You don’t need to spread the sauce on every leaf.
If you have any sauce leftover, pour it onto the stacked leaves. If you run out of sauce, tip the container and scoop out the sauce from the bottom corner of the container and spread it over the perilla leaves.
4. Close the lid and move the container to the fridge. You can start eating this from the next day. Serve it with a hot bowl of rice.
(It can be stored in the fridge for at least one week. Though traditionally this dish was made during the summer months when many perilla leaves are available and consumed through the summer to winter.)
How to Eat
Pick up a piece of perilla leaf by the stem using your chopsticks, place it on top of your rice and wrap the rice with the perilla leaf.
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Korean Pickled Perilla Leaves (Kkaennip Jangajji)
Ingredients
- 32 leaves perilla (98 g / 3.5 ounces)
SEASONING SAUCE (MIX THESE IN A MEDIUM-SIZED BOWL)
- 10 Tbsp soy sauce , regular (I use naturally brewed kikkoman soy sauce.)
- 1 tsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp spring onion , finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp green chilies or red chilies, (optional), finely chopped
Instructions
- Rinse the perilla leaves in cold running water and drain/air dry them while left in the colander.
- While waiting for the perilla leaves to dry, prepare the seasoning sauce.
- Place the perilla leaves in stacks in a large (glass) container (with a lid). Spread (about 1 Tbsp worth of) seasoning sauce on top of the perilla leaf. Repeat this process for every 3 leaves for the rest of leaves. As it is already stacked, you will have to lift the leaves at every third interval with one hand while the other hand is spreading the sauce. You don’t need to spread the sauce on every leaf. If you have any sauce leftover, pour it onto the stacked leaves. If you run out of sauce, tip the container and scoop out the sauce from the bottom corner of the container and spread it over the perilla leaves.
- Close the lid and move the container to the fridge. You can start eating this from the next day. Serve it with a hot bowl of rice. (It can be stored in the fridge for at least one week. Though traditionally this dish was made during the summer months when many perilla leaves are available and consumed through the summer to winter.)
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
