A simple Korean side dish made with fresh perilla leaves, savory doenjang, and a small touch of blueberry syrup.
Some foods are more than just food.
They bring back memories.
When I was young, my grandmother often made simple Korean side dishes with fresh vegetables and a few basic ingredients. One of the flavors I remember most is perilla leaves seasoned with doenjang ( Korean fermented soybean paste).
As I grew older, I started to miss that familiar taste.
So, I decided to make my own version of the perilla leaf dish I remember from my childhood.
Today, I make it here in Calgary, Alberta, where the seasons feel very different from those of my childhood. Summers are short, and winter seems to arrive quickly.
That is why the end of summer is a special time for me.
When fresh perilla leaves are ready to harvest, I like to prepare them for the colder months ahead. It reminds me of the old Korean tradition of preparing seasonal food before winter.
For me, making these doenjang perilla leaves(깻잎된장아찌) is not just about preserving food.
It is a small way to keep a little piece of my grandmother's kitchen alive.
Why Make Doenjang Perilla Leaves at the End of Summer?
Late summer is a wonderful time to prepare seasonal foods.
Fresh perilla leaves are green, fragrant, and full of flavor. When they are layered with a savory doenjang sauce and rested in the refrigerator, the leaves slowly absorb the flavors.
Living in Calgary makes this seasonal rhythm feel even more meaningful.
The warm days of summer do not last very long. Before we know it, the air becomes cooler and the growing season comes to an end.
Preparing perilla leaves at the end of summer gives me a simple way to enjoy the feeling of summer even after the garden is quiet.
It also brings back memories of the way my grandmother prepared food for our family.
Ingredients
Fresh Perilla Leaves
150 g fresh perilla leaves
Doenjang Sauce
120 g doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste)
3 tablespoons blueberry fermented syrup or corn syrup
1 tablespoon cooking wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2–6 tablespoons kelp broth, as needed
About the Kelp Broth
The amount of kelp broth depends on the thickness of your doenjang.
Start with 2 tablespoons and mix well.
If the sauce is still too thick to spread easily, add more broth 1 tablespoon at a time.
You may need up to 6 tablespoons.
The finished sauce should be soft and easy to spread, but not runny.
If you make your own kelp broth, save the cooked kelp pieces. They can be used later when layering the perilla leaves.
How to Make Doenjang Perilla Leaves
1. Wash the Perilla Leaves
Gently wash the fresh perilla leaves under cool running water.
Pay special attention to the back of the leaves because small pieces of dirt can sometimes collect there.
Drain the leaves well.
If they are very wet, gently pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel.
You do not need to make the leaves completely dry, but removing extra water will help the doenjang sauce stay on the leaves. Arrange the stems neatly and trim them to about 1cm long.
2. Make the Doenjang Sauce
Place the doenjang in a mixing bowl.
Add:
blueberry fermented syrup or corn syrup
cooking wine
soy sauce
minced garlic
Mix everything together.
Next, add 2 tablespoons of kelp broth and stir well.
Check the texture.
If the sauce is too thick, add another tablespoon of kelp broth.
Continue adding broth slowly until the sauce becomes smooth and easy to spread.
The goal:
The sauce should be thick enough to stay on the perilla leaf.
It should not be watery or runny.
Because doenjang has a strong flavor, you only need a thin layer of sauce.
3. Layer the Perilla Leaves
Place 6–8 perilla leaves in a clean food container.
Spread a thin layer of doenjang sauce over the top leaf.
Add another 6–8 leaves and repeat the process.
Continue layering the leaves and sauce until all the leaves are used.
You do not need to spread a lot of sauce between leaf.
A little doenjang goes a long way.
When you reach the final layer, use the remaining doenjang sauce and the remaining kelp from the sauce-making process to cover the top generously.
Then place the cooked kelp pieces left from making the kelp broth over the top.
The leftover kelp adds another layer of flavor and also makes good use of an ingredient that might otherwise be thrown away.
Close the container with a lid.
4. Refrigerate and Let the Flavor Develop
Place the container in the refrigerator.
Let the perilla leaves rest for several hours so the doenjang sauce can slowly flavor the leaves.
As the leaves rest, they become softer and the flavors come together.
I usually find that the taste becomes better after the dish has had time to rest.
This is one of those Korean side dishes that does not need complicated cooking.
Time does much of the work.
What Doenjang Perilla Leaves Taste Like?
The flavor is savory, earthy, and slightly sweet.
The doenjang gives the dish its deep fermented flavor, while the perilla leaves add a fresh herbal aroma.
The small amount of blueberry fermented syrup adds a gentle sweetness without making the dish taste like dessert.
I especially like eating these perilla leaves with a bowl of freshly cooked warm rice.
The combination is simple, but very comforting.
This version is not spicy because it does not contain chili powder or Korean chili paste. The main flavors come from the savory doenjang, fragrant perilla leaves, and gentle sweetness.
A Simple Korean Side Dish for Cold Calgary Winters
When winter comes to Calgary and the temperature drops, I love opening the refrigerator and finding these perilla leaves waiting for me.
A few leaves with warm rice can turn a very simple meal into something comforting.
The fresh herbal smell of perilla leaves, the deep savory taste of doenjang, and the small touch of sweetness from blueberry syrup create a flavor that feels both traditional and personal.
For me, this is more than a Korean side dish.
It is a small taste of summer saved for winter.
And every time I eat it, I think of my grandmother and the food she made when I was a child.
Tips for Making the Best Doenjang Perilla Leaves
Start With Less Broth
Different brands of doenjang can have very different textures.
For this reason, do not add all the kelp broth at once.
Start with 2 tablespoons and add more slowly until the sauce is easy to spread.
You may need up to 6 tablespoons depending on the thickness of your doenjang.
Use a Thin Layer of Sauce
You do not need a thick layer of doenjang.
Too much sauce can make the perilla leaves overly salty and cover their natural aroma.
A thin layer is usually enough.
Choose Fresh Perilla Leaves
Look for fresh green leaves without large brown spots, damaged areas, or wilted edges.
Fresh leaves will give the finished dish a better texture and aroma.
If you are growing perilla in Calgary, late summer is a good time to harvest healthy, mature leaves for this recipe.
Give the Leaves Time to Rest
The flavor changes as the leaves rest in the refrigerator.
If you are making this recipe for the first time, taste one leaf after a day.
This will help you decide whether you want to change the amount of doenjang, sweetness, or broth the next time you make it.
What Is Doenjang?
Doenjang is a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste.
It has a rich, savory flavor and is used in many Korean foods, including soups, stews, sauces, and side dishes.
Doenjang is one of the ingredients that gives Korean cooking its deep and earthy taste.
If you have never tried doenjang before, the flavor may seem strong at first.
But when it is mixed with other ingredients, it creates a rich and flavorful sauce.
What Are Perilla Leaves?
Perilla leaves are a popular ingredient in Korean cooking.
They have a unique herbal aroma with a slightly minty and earthy flavor.
Perilla leaves can be eaten fresh, cooked, grilled, seasoned, or preserved.
They are especially good with rice because their strong aroma adds a lot of flavor to a simple meal.
In Korean, perilla leaves are called kkaennip (깻잎).
The Korean name is useful to know if you are looking for fresh perilla leaves at a Korean grocery store.
How I Enjoy These Perilla Leaves
The simplest way to enjoy doenjang perilla leaves is with warm cooked rice.
Take one leaf, place it over a spoonful of rice, and wrap the leaf around the rice.
The soft, fragrant leaf and savory doenjang sauce make even a simple bowl of rice feel special.
They can also be served as banchan (Korean side dishes) alongside other foods.
Because the flavor is already rich, I like serving them with simple dishes rather than foods with very strong sauces.
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