Korean Braised Perilla Leaves
Quick answer
- Total time
- 20 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Kkaennip jorim layers fresh perilla leaves with a soy-based sauce and simmers them gently - a banchan built for make-ahead storage.
Read more
Kkaennip (perilla) is a distinctly Korean herb with an aromatic intensity comparable to basil or mint, yet it is rarely found outside Korean cuisine. The technique stacks five to six leaves at a time, spooning sauce between each layer so every leaf seasons evenly. Simmering on medium-low heat for eight to ten minutes wilts the leaves into soft, pliable sheets that wrap neatly around a mound of rice. The sauce combines soy sauce, gochugaru, sugar, garlic, and sesame oil - the last adding a nutty richness that complements the herb's own perfume. Refrigerated in an airtight container, kkaennip jorim lasts up to two weeks, making it one of the most economical banchan to batch-prepare.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Rinse all 40 perilla leaves one by one under running water, cleaning both sides, and trim only the tough stem tips.
Stand them in a colander for about 10 minutes so excess water does not thin the sauce.
- 2Season
In a bowl, first mix 3 tbsp soy sauce, 60 ml water, and 1 tbsp sugar until the sugar dissolves.
Stir in 1 tsp gochugaru, 1 tsp minced garlic, and 1 tbsp sesame oil so the seasoning spreads evenly.
- 3Control
Spoon a little sauce over the bottom of the pot, then lay 5 to 6 perilla leaves flat in the same direction.
Add a small spoonful of sauce between each stack and repeat, leaving no dry leaves uncovered.
- 4Control
Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes.
Avoid high heat, which can scorch the sauce at the edges before the leaves soften; keep the liquid at a gentle bubbling level.
- 5Finish
The leaves are ready when they darken and bend softly when lifted with tongs.
If the sauce reduces too quickly, lower the heat and cover the pot so the leaves finish cooking without drying out.
- 6Control
Turn off the heat and let the covered pot stand for 5 minutes so residual heat helps the seasoning soak in.
Sprinkle 1 tsp sesame seeds over the leaves, cool completely, and refrigerate in an airtight container.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Perilla leaves stacked 5 to 6 deep with sauce between each layer, simmered into a two-week make-ahead banchan.
- Finish cue
- Turn off the heat and let the covered pot stand for 5 minutes so residual heat helps the seasoning soak in.
- Avoid this
- Rinse all 40 perilla leaves one by one under running water, cleaning both sides, and trim only the tough stem tips.
- Storage and reheating
- Transfer the completely cooled perilla leaves to a clean airtight container and refrigerate.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
20min, 8 ingredients
Category median
17min, 7 ingredients
Based on 109 recipes
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