Step 1

Wash and clean perilla leaves. If you have the whole top part of the plant, take off leaves and tender part of the plant. Discard any thick stems that do not break easily.

Step 2

Prepare a pot of boiling water with salt added and an ice bath. Blanch perilla by putting perilla leaves in boiling water for 10-30 seconds depending on how tender they are. Do not overcook.

Step 3

Once perilla leaves are blanched, quickly remove from boiling water and plunge them into an ice bath to stop cooking.

Step 4

Grab a handful of blanched perilla and form a ball in your hand. Squeeze out any excess water.

Step 5

Season perilla leaves by adding perilla oil/sesame oil, guk kanjang and garlic. Massage with your hands to make sure leaves are seasoned well.

Step 6

Saute seasoned perilla in a non-stick frying pan over medium low heat for 1 – 2 min until they are gently cooked. If they look too dry, add 1 Tbs of water and cook some more until most of the liquid has evaporated. I added some thinly sliced onions for extra flavor here but that’s totally optional.

Step 7

Sprinkle sesame seed or perilla seeds and that’s all you need to do!

Step 8

Enjoy Kkaetnip Namul (Sauteed Perilla Leaves) as a side dish to any meal or make Traditional Bibimbap by adding some other wonderfully healthy and delicious Korean namuls such as Kongnamul, Radish Namul, Gosari Namul, Shikeumchi (Spinach) Namul, Doraji Namul and more.