Unlocking the Culinary World of Perilla Leaves: A Comprehensive Guide to Delicious Recipes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perilla leaves, with their unique peppery and slightly minty flavor, offer a world of culinary possibilities. Often overlooked, these versatile leaves can elevate dishes from simple salads to complex entrees. As HappyTopis.com says, “Perilla leaves are a culinary adventure waiting to happen!” This comprehensive guide explores the many ways you can incorporate perilla leaves into your cooking, providing a diverse range of recipes to inspire your culinary creativity.

Salads & Sides

1. Simple Perilla Salad with Sesame Dressing

• Ingredients: Fresh perilla leaves, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger.
• Instructions: Whisk together sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Toss with perilla leaves and serve.

2. Perilla and Cucumber Salad with Crispy Tofu

• Ingredients: Perilla leaves, cucumber, firm or extra-firm tofu, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili flakes.
• Instructions: Press tofu to remove excess water, then pan-fry or bake until crispy. Slice cucumber thinly. Toss cucumber, perilla leaves, and crispy tofu with a dressing of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chili flakes.

3. Perilla Leaf and Shrimp Salad with Lime Dressing

• Ingredients: Cooked shrimp, perilla leaves, red onion, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper.
• Instructions: Combine shrimp, perilla leaves, thinly sliced red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, and chopped cilantro. Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with the salad and serve.

Main Courses

4. Korean-Style Perilla Leaf-Wrapped Chicken

• Ingredients: Chicken thighs, perilla leaves, soy sauce, gochujang (Korean chili paste), garlic, ginger, sesame oil, green onions.
• Instructions: Marinate chicken in a mixture of soy sauce, gochujang, minced garlic, grated ginger, and sesame oil. Wrap marinated chicken in perilla leaves and pan-fry or bake until cooked through. Garnish with green onions.

5. Perilla Leaf-Stuffed Pork Belly

• Ingredients: Pork belly, perilla leaves, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar.
• Instructions: Sauté mushrooms, garlic, and ginger. Mix with soy sauce, rice wine, and brown sugar. Stuff the pork belly with the mushroom mixture, then wrap with perilla leaves and roast until tender.

6. Perilla Leaf and Fish Stir-fry

• Ingredients: Firm white fish fillets (cod, halibut), perilla leaves, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, ginger, garlic, bell peppers.
• Instructions: Stir-fry fish until cooked through. Add perilla leaves, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, minced ginger, minced garlic, and sliced bell peppers. Stir-fry until vegetables are tender-crisp.

Soups & Stews

7. Perilla Leaf and Miso Soup

• Ingredients: Dashi (Japanese fish stock), miso paste, tofu, perilla leaves, scallions.
• Instructions: Heat dashi in a pot. Add miso paste and whisk until dissolved. Add cubed tofu and perilla leaves. Simmer until heated through. Garnish with chopped scallions.

8. Spicy Perilla Leaf and Kimchi Soup

• Ingredients: Kimchi, pork belly, perilla leaves, garlic, ginger, gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), soy sauce, fish sauce.
• Instructions: Saute pork belly until browned. Add kimchi, minced garlic, grated ginger, and gochugaru. Add water or broth and simmer. Add perilla leaves and simmer until heated through. Season with soy sauce and fish sauce to taste.

Other Uses

9. Perilla Leaf Pesto

• Ingredients: Perilla leaves, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil.
• Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust olive oil to desired consistency.

10. Perilla Leaf Infused Oil

• Ingredients: Olive oil, perilla leaves.
• Instructions: Infuse olive oil with perilla leaves by gently heating them together (do not boil). Strain and store in a cool, dark place.

11. Perilla Leaf Tea

• Ingredients: Fresh or dried perilla leaves, hot water.
• Instructions: Steep perilla leaves in hot water for 5-10 minutes. Strain and enjoy.

12. Perilla Leaf Pancakes

• Ingredients: Pancake batter, finely chopped perilla leaves.
• Instructions: Add finely chopped perilla leaves to your favorite pancake batter. Cook pancakes as usual.

13. Perilla Leaf-Glazed Vegetables

• Ingredients: Assorted vegetables (broccoli, carrots, zucchini), perilla leaves, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, honey.
• Instructions: Blanch vegetables until tender-crisp. Puree perilla leaves with soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and honey. Toss vegetables in the puree and serve.

14. Perilla Leaf and Egg Fried Rice

• Ingredients: Cooked rice, eggs, chopped perilla leaves, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions.
• Instructions: Scramble eggs. Add cooked rice, chopped perilla leaves, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir-fry until heated through. Garnish with chopped green onions.

15. Perilla Leaf and Kimchi Fried Rice

• Ingredients: Cooked rice, kimchi, eggs, chopped perilla leaves, soy sauce, sesame oil.
• Instructions: Scramble eggs. Add cooked rice, kimchi, chopped perilla leaves, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir-fry until heated through.

16. Perilla Leaf Tempura

• Ingredients: Perilla leaves, tempura batter, vegetable oil.
• Instructions: Dip perilla leaves in tempura batter and deep-fry until golden brown and crispy.