All I need is a bowl of rice, some chopsticks, and marinated perilla leaves to be happy. 🙂
Korean perilla leaves, also known as sesame leaves, are a very popular banchan in Korean cuisine. Banchan, or side dishes, are an essential part of Korean meals. They are brought out in small portions, meant to be shared, and served with rice.
This recipe is for marinated Korean perilla leaves. The perilla leaf itself is so flavorful and tastes a bit like mint and licorice. The addition of the marinade gives you an absolute incredible flavor that must be tasted to be believed. I would describe the taste of the marinated perilla leaves as licoricey (sorry if that's not a word!), minty, salty, garlicky, spicy, and slightly sweet. Doesn't that sound amaaaazing?!? 🙂
What Ingredients Do You Need For Korean Perilla Leaves Marinade?
This takes about 10 minutes to put together and is so easy to do. Once you've assembled everything and dressed the leaves with the marinade, it's best to leave it to sit for a few hours so that the marinade can really sink in.
All you need are perilla leaves, Korean red pepper flakes (or gochugaru), soy sauce, garlic, and brown sugar. I throw in some Thai chilis as well, but that's purely optional! Click on the highlighted links to purchase the Korean red pepper flakes and/or soy sauce on Amazon.
The best way to eat this once it is ready, is to grab yourself a bowl of hot rice and some chopsticks. Pick up one of the leaves and lay it on your rice. Then proceed to wrap up some rice with the leaf, and enjoy.
If you make this recipe, please let me know how you like it by commenting below!
You may also enjoy these other banchan recipes:
Korean Zucchini Side Dish (Hobak Namul)
Korean Wild Green Onion Kimchi (Pa Kimchi)
Bring a taste of Korea to your table and enjoy!! 🙂
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Cheers!
Grace
Marinated Korean Perilla Leaves
Ingredients
- 1.4 oz perilla leaves approximately 30 leaves
- 2 tablespoon Korean red pepper flakes
- 6 tbsp soy sauce please use Kikkoman it's the best!
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1-3 each Thai chilis minced; purely optional but gives it extra kick for lovers of spice!
Instructions
- Combine the red pepper flakes, soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, and minced chilis (if using) in a bowl. Mix well.
- Lay one perilla leaf down in a container and add a small amount of the marinade on top. Spread the marinade over the leaf.
- Continue laying each leaf on top and adding a small amount of marinade, until all leaves have been covered by the marinade. Remember, you will only need a small amount of the marinade, and you should the marinade over each leaf.
Angelina Bonoan
Where can you buy the perilla leaves in Chicago?
Grace
Hi Angelina, thanks so much for your question! I found this place while searching Korean groceries in Chicago: http://joongboomarket.com/. Seems to me they most likely have perilla leaves. Other than that I saw that Chicago has an H Mart but not sure if they sell fresh produce there. I hope you can find the perilla leaves! If I can be of further assistance please let me know. Have a great day!