Korean Perilla Leaf Kimchi

5 from 47 votes

This Korean perilla leaf kimchi is a simple Korean side dish made with marinated perilla leaves in soy sauce & Korean red pepper flakes. Spicy, garlicky & herbaceous!

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Korean

Servings:

Calories: 40kcal

Ingredients

30 perilla leaves
4 cloves garlic - minced
½ cup onions - sliced thinly
⅓ cup carrots - thinly sliced or shredded
1 stalk scallion - chopped
2 teaspoons toasted white sesame seeds
2 medium serrano peppers - (optional) finely diced
2 Tablespoons chives - (optional) chopped

Perilla leaf sauce

3 ½ Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes
1 ½ Tablespoons fish sauce - substitute with soy sauce for a vegan option
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions

Prep all the vegetables and sauce ingredients. Stack the perilla leaves on top of each other with the stems facing the same way.
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Then add the garlic, onions, carrots, scallions, and sesame seeds (and if using, the serrano peppers and chives) to the sauce. Mix everything together and let it sit for 5 minutes until the vegetables soften.
Meanwhile, divide the perilla leaves and the sauce into two equal portions. Starting with the first half, take every two or three leaves and apply a heaping teaspoon of sauce onto the leaves. Be sure to spread it to the edges and coat the entire surface of the leaf.
Next, repeat the same steps with the second half of the leaves and sauce.
You can serve this right away or let the perilla leaves marinate at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, flipping halfway in between so that the leaves marinate evenly. Store it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. They will taste even better the next day.

Notes

Dividing the sauce and leaves into two portions makes it easier to gauge how much sauce to spread on the leaves.
Store in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition