Korean Potato Perilla Seed Soup

Quick answer

Total time: 30 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Gamja-deulkkae-guk is a Korean home soup of potatoes and ground perilla seed simmered in anchovy stock.

The potatoes go in first and cook until they begin to fall apart, releasing their starch into the liquid and giving the broth a natural, gentle thickness. Ground perilla seed is stirred in toward the end of cooking, turning the clear stock opaque and white and filling the pot with a toasty, earthy fragrance that is distinctive to perilla. The flavor sits in its own space: it has none of the fermented depth of doenjang soup and none of the oceanic quality of miyeok-guk, but the perilla leaves a long, nutty finish that builds with each spoonful rather than fading immediately. Soup soy sauce brings the seasoning together, and onion and green onion laid in at the start provide a background sweetness that keeps the broth from tasting flat. The texture is thick and warming without being heavy or greasy. This is a soup that rarely appears on restaurant menus but comes up frequently on home dinner tables during the cold months, the kind of everyday dish that fits naturally into a simple meal.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

potato300 gg

ground perilla seed4 tbsptbsp

onion80 gg

green onion⅔ eaea

minced garlic0.8 tbsptbsp

soup soy sauce1 tbsptbsp

anchovy stock850 mlml

salt⅓ tsptsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Heat

Slice 300 g of potato into 0.7 cm half-moons, and cut 80 g of onion into thin strips.

Keep the potato thickness even so the pieces cook at the same pace and release starch evenly into the broth.
2

Control

Pour 850 ml of anchovy stock into a pot and bring it to a boil over high heat.

Add the potato and onion once it bubbles steadily, then skim off any foam lightly without removing too much broth.
3

Control

Lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Cook until the potato edges soften and begin to loosen, and the once clear stock turns slightly cloudy from the released starch.
4

Control

Stir in 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce and 0.8 tablespoon minced garlic, then simmer for 2 more minutes.

Let the raw garlic sharpness soften before judging the seasoning base of the soup.
5

Control

Mix 4 tablespoons ground perilla seed with a ladle of hot broth before adding it to the pot.

Simmer over low heat for 4 minutes, stirring often, so it thickens smoothly without clumping or sticking.
6

Control

When the broth turns milky and gently thick, adjust with 0.3 teaspoon salt and add the green onion.

Simmer for 1 minute, then loosen with a little water if the soup has become too dense.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Gamja-deulkkae-guk uses ground perilla seeds and potatoes to create a naturally thick, milky soup.
Finish cue: When the broth turns milky and gently thick, adjust with 0.3 teaspoon salt and add the green onion.
Avoid this: The potatoes go in first and cook until they begin to fall apart, releasing their starch into the liquid and giving the broth a natural, gentle thickness.

Cooking decision evidence

Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.

This recipe

30min, 8 ingredients

Category median

45min, 8 ingredients

Based on 310 recipes

Official cooking and safety guidance

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours and use them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat the center to 74°C.

Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Leftovers and Food Safety

Sources checked 2026-08-03

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