Kkaennip Jjim (Steamed Perilla Leaves) with Anchovies
A savory side dish made by layering perilla leaves with toasted tiny dried anchovies and seasoning sauce, then gently braising until tender.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
A fragrant, savory side dish elevated with toasted tiny dried anchovies for rich umami. Layering the ingredients and sauce, then covering the pot to gently steam, softens even tougher perilla leaves. Made in generous amounts from simple ingredients, it makes a reliable staple for your table.
- Servings
- about 10–12 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Perilla leaves300 leaves, 500 g (approx. yield)
- Tiny dried anchovies1 cup
- Onion1/2 (large)
- Large green onion (daepa)1 stalk
- Red Cheongyang chili pepper4
- Water1 1/2 cups
Seasoning
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))2/3 cup
- Sand lance fish sauce (or dried anchovies)1/2 cup
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2/3 cup
- Minced garlic4 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)4 tbsp
- Sugar (or green plum syrup (maesil-cheong))2 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)2 tbsp
- Perilla oil (or toasted sesame oil)3 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds3 tbsp
- Young perilla leaf shoots work even better.
- Use 1 cup of tiny dried anchovies, slightly larger than micro-sized (jiri) and smaller than medium anchovies.
- If you do not care for fish sauce, you can substitute soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang).
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
These were picked straight from the garden, so they are uneven in size and untrimmed.
It is roughly 500g, which corresponds to about 300 store-bought perilla leaves. Young perilla leaf shoots work even better.
For the anchovies, use 1 cup of tiny dried anchovies, slightly larger than micro-sized (jiri) and smaller than medium anchovies.
You will need 1 large green onion (daepa), and more onion than what I had prepared (about 1 medium onion or 1/2 large onion).
You will also need about 4 spicy red chili peppers.
Cut the ingredients
Roughly chop the perilla leaves into large pieces, thinly slice the onion, and finely slice the green onion and chili peppers.
Toast the anchovies
Toast the anchovies in a dry pan until lightly golden to remove any off-odors and bring out their nutty, savory flavor.
Make the seasoning sauce
Mix all the seasoning ingredients together, except for the perilla oil (or toasted sesame oil) and toasted sesame seeds.
Pour in 1/2 cup of the 1 1/2 cups of water called for in the recipe to thin out the consistency.
Layer the ingredients with the sauce
If you dump all the seasoning sauce onto the perilla leaves at once, they will clump together and make it hard to cook.
Divide the perilla leaves, toasted anchovies, and chopped vegetables into portions, then layer them with portions of the sauce so everything distributes evenly and cooks easily.
Pour the remaining 1 cup of water over the top at the end.
Simmer
Cover with a lid, set the heat to low, and leave it alone for about 3 minutes once steam starts rising.
The perilla leaves will wilt and shrink down considerably in volume.
Turn the heat up to medium and stir-fry so the seasoning coats the perilla leaves evenly; by this time, plenty of liquid should have released from the vegetables.
Late-season perilla leaves can be tough, so cover with the lid again and let them gently steam over low heat until tender.
Once the liquid has reduced to a shallow simmer and the seasonings have soaked in, taste it; if it is too bland, adjust with soy sauce or fish sauce.
Turn off the heat, and finish by adding perilla oil (or toasted sesame oil) and toasted sesame seeds.
Finish
Savory kkaennip jjim with the rich aroma of fish sauce is complete.
If you do not care for fish sauce, you can substitute soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang).
Ppunwife's tips
- Toasting the anchovies in a dry pan until lightly golden removes any off-odors and brings out their nutty, savory flavor.
- If you mix all the sauce into the perilla leaves at once, they will clump together and become hard to stir-fry. Divide the perilla leaves, anchovies, and chopped vegetables, and layer them with portions of the sauce for easier cooking.
- Late-season perilla leaves can be tough, so cover with a lid and let them gently steam over low heat to make them tender.
FAQ
Can I add the anchovies directly without prepping them?
Toasting them first in a dry pan until lightly golden gets rid of any fishy odor and brings out a nutty, savory flavor.
What can I substitute if I don't like the strong smell of fish sauce?
You can use soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) instead of fish sauce to season the dish.
Can I mix all the ingredients and seasoning together at once and simmer?
If you pour all the sauce in at once, the perilla leaves will clump together and make stirring difficult. Layering the sauce between portions of the leaves and anchovies ensures everything blends evenly.
How should I cook the perilla leaves if they are tough?
Stir-fry over medium heat to draw out the natural juices, then cover with a lid and let them gently steam on low heat to soften the texture.
