Perilla BokkEum

We harvested some fresh perilla leaves from our garden. So, I made this delicious fried perilla side dish. Perilla leaves have their own unique flavor. The seasonings make this a very savory dish. If you like perilla, this can be a simple and great side dish for your Korean meals.

Yield: 1 Cup

Short Korean Lesson

• SangJa (상자) = Box
• BongJi (봉지) = Bag

Video Instructions

Main Ingredients

• 40 Perilla Leaves (½ Cup Boiled)
• 4 Cups Water (½ tsp Salt)
• 1 Cup Onion

Seasoning Ingredients

• 2 tsp Red Hot Pepper
• 2 tsp Soup Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp Cooking Oil
• 2 tsp Sesame Oil
• 2 tsp Garlic, Minced
• ⅛ tsp Salt
• Some Sesame Seeds (Garnish)

Directions

Obtain about 40 perilla leaves. If you planted your own perilla, pick some soft young leaves for this recipe. Wash them good.

Remove the stems from the leaves and cut them in half. Slice 1 cup worth of an onion thinly. Slice 2 tsp worth of hot pepper thinly. If you do not want spicy food, you can skip the hot pepper.

Add ½ tsp of salt into 4 cups of boiling water. This helps to retain the green color of the leaves.

Put the perilla in the boiling water and cook for 20 seconds on high.

Quickly put the cooked perilla in cold or ice water to retain the nice green color.

Squeeze out the water from the perilla.

Add the perilla, chopped onion, and all the seasoning ingredients in a heated pan.

Fry for about 5 minutes on medium-high, and then turn off the heat. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.

 

This is delicious both warm and cold, so keep the leftovers in the refrigerator to serve whenever you eat Korean meals. Try this someday. 🙂