Perilla in Korean food
Perilla seed (들깨 · 들기름)
Perilla seeds go into Korean food in two forms: roasted and ground into powder, or pressed into perilla oil. Perilla is a different plant from sesame, so avoiding sesame alone does not keep you away from perilla.
Where it hides in Korean food
Gamjatang, a pork bone stew, often has roasted ground perilla seeds in it. Deulkkae kalguksu is cooked with finely ground perilla stirred into the broth, and deulkkae miyeokguk is seaweed soup with perilla powder added. The powder dissolves in the broth, so it is hard to tell from the solids alone.
Chueotang, a loach soup, is often served with perilla powder on the side in the Jeolla region. Many sundaeguk restaurants also keep perilla powder on the table along with kkakdugi and salted shrimp. Even if the dish you ordered has no perilla, you may end up adding it from the condiments served with it.
Perilla oil is pressed from roasted perilla seeds and is used in the same places as sesame oil, the two taking turns. It is often used to season or stir-fry namul and to pan-fry jeon, and some places use it instead of sesame oil in japchae, gimbap and bibimbap. It is especially popular in the Chungcheong, Jeolla and Gyeongsang regions.
Perilla powder is also used to season namul, kimchi and fish cake, and some dishes carry it in the name, such as deulkkae tteokbokki and deulkkae sundubu jjigae. In Korea, perilla allergy is reported separately from sesame allergy, so even if sesame does not affect you, it is worth checking for perilla on its own. Kkaennip, perilla leaves, come from the same plant, but they are a different part from the seeds.
Dishes that contain it
Sometimes in it
- BibimbapSome places dress the vegetables or mix the bowl with perilla oil instead of sesame oil, and mountain-vegetable bibimbap may dress the vegetables with perilla seed powder.
- Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken)Some recipes put perilla oil in the sauce instead of sesame oil.
- GimbapPerilla oil sometimes replaces sesame oil in the rice or spinach seasoning, and some laver is brushed with perilla oil before toasting.
- JapchaeSome recipes toss the noodles in perilla oil instead of sesame oil.
- Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)Perilla sundubu thickens the broth with perilla seed powder, and some recipes make the chili oil with perilla oil.
- TteokbokkiPerilla tteokbokki is made with perilla seed powder stirred into a soy-based sauce.
Based on the 14 dishes this site has researched. Dishes not listed here can contain it too.