Perilla in Korean food

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.

How it is written in Korean

• 들깨deulkkaeperilla seed
• 들기름deulgireumperilla oil
• 들깨가루deulkkaegaruground perilla seed
• 깻잎kkaennipperilla leaf, same plant but not the seed

These are common words, not a complete list. A word missing here does not mean the ingredient is missing from the food.

Korean law does not require packaged food to name this ingredient in its allergy box, so 들깨(들기름, 들깨가루 포함) can be in the food without showing up there. Read the full ingredient list for the words above.

Dishes that contain it

Based on the 20 dishes this site has researched. Dishes not listed here can contain it too.

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Sources we checked

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