Pickled Perilla Leaves (Kkaennip Jangajji) Recipe

Name: Pickled Perilla Leaves
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 30 leaves Korean perilla leaves (kkaennip), about 3 ounces; cup soy sauce or tamari; 2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar; 2 tablespoons green onion, finely sliced; 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes); 2 tablespoons Korean green chili pepper or jalapeño, finely minced; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, or as needed

By Jiwon Kim · September 30, 2026

If you've never cooked with Korean perilla leaves, kkaennip, this is one of the easiest places to start. The leaves have a distinctive fresh, herbal flavor with hints of mint, basil, and licorice, and they stay pleasantly tender while soaking up a savory soy marinade.

This version is a simple refrigerator jangajji: no complicated fermentation and no long cooking process. The leaves are layered with a garlicky sauce, chilled overnight, and ready to tuck around a little mound of warm rice. The contrast is the best part—the cold, intensely seasoned leaf against hot, fluffy rice.

Keep the leaves as dry as you reasonably can after washing. Extra water dilutes the marinade, while neatly layered leaves make sure every bite gets plenty of sauce. The supplied recipes consistently use roughly 20–50 leaves and emphasize careful layering and adequate resting time.

Pickled Perilla Leaves

Tender Korean perilla leaves are layered with a salty-sweet soy marinade, garlic, gochugaru, green onion, and fresh chili, then chilled until the flavors soak right through.

Prep 10 min

Pickling 8 hours

Cuisine Korean

Yield

6 servings

Ingredients

30 leaves Korean perilla leaves (kkaennip), about 3 ounces
soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
2 tablespoons green onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
2 tablespoons Korean green chili pepper or jalapeño, finely minced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, or as needed

Instructions

Rinse the perilla leaves under cold running water, making sure both sides are clean. Let them drain in a colander, then gently pat off excess moisture with paper towels. The leaves don't need to be bone-dry, but you don't want water pooling between them.
Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, green onion, garlic, gochugaru, and minced green chili together in a bowl. Give the sauce a minute or two to sit so the sugar dissolves and the garlic starts perfuming the soy.
Choose a lidded glass container just large enough to hold the leaves. Lay 3 leaves flat in the bottom, then spoon about 1 tablespoon of marinade over them. Continue layering the leaves and marinade until everything is used. If the sauce collects at the bottom, spoon some of it back over the upper layers.
Press the leaves down gently so the marinade can reach as much of the surface as possible. Pour any remaining sauce over the top, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Overnight gives the leaves a deeper, more rounded flavor.
When ready to serve, lift out a few leaves and let excess marinade drip back into the container. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve cold alongside freshly cooked warm rice.
To eat them Korean-style, place a leaf in your palm or on a spoon, add a little warm rice, fold the leaf around it, and eat it together. The cool, garlicky perilla and hot rice balance each other beautifully.

Notes & Variations

Don't rush the pickling: The leaves can technically be eaten earlier, but the supplied recipe recommends at least 8 hours; overnight gives noticeably better seasoning.
Control the heat: Gochugaru gives the marinade its Korean chili flavor. Reduce it for a gentler banchan or add a little more if you like a stronger kick.
Keep them refrigerated: Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to about 10 days. These leaves don't freeze well.
For gluten-free: Use tamari instead of regular soy sauce. The chosen source specifically gives tamari as the gluten-free alternative.

Nutrition (approx., per serving): Calories: 30 · Protein: 2g · Carbs: 6g · Fat: 0.1g · Saturated fat: 0.01g · Cholesterol: 0mg · Sodium: 1111mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 3g
Estimated values based on the supplied ingredient quantities; actual nutrition may vary depending on the soy sauce, portion size, and how much marinade is consumed. The source nutrition lists approximately 30 calories and 1111mg sodium per serving.

FAQ

Q: How long do pickled perilla leaves last in the fridge?

Pickled perilla leaves keep refrigerated for about 10 days when stored covered. Keep them cold and use clean utensils when taking leaves from the container. Freezing isn't recommended because the leaves lose their pleasant texture after thawing.

Q: How long should pickled perilla leaves sit before eating?

Let the perilla leaves pickle for at least 8 hours, although overnight is better for fuller flavor. Before that point, the marinade hasn't had enough time to work its way through the layers, so the leaves can taste more like fresh perilla with sauce than properly seasoned jangajji.

Q: What do pickled perilla leaves taste like?

Pickled perilla leaves taste savory, slightly sweet, garlicky, spicy, and distinctly herbal. The leaves themselves have a fragrant flavor often described as minty, herby, nutty, and lightly reminiscent of licorice, which becomes softer and more balanced after pickling.

Q: Can I use tamari instead of soy sauce for pickled perilla leaves?

Yes, tamari works well as a gluten-free substitute for soy sauce in this recipe. Use the same 1/2 cup amount, then keep the rest of the marinade unchanged; the garlic, gochugaru, sugar, and chili provide plenty of flavor around the soy-based seasoning.

Q: Why are my pickled perilla leaves watery and bland?

Excess water on the leaves can dilute the marinade, so drain them well and pat off visible moisture before layering. Also make sure the leaves rest for at least 8 hours; the supplied recipe notes that eating them sooner results in noticeably less flavor.

Pickled Perilla Leaves (Kkaennip Jangajji) Recipe