Perilla Leaf Kimchi ｜紫蘇葉泡菜

If you have ever visited a Korean supermarket, you probably have seen perilla leaves.  They are usually sold in bundles or in packages.  Perilla leaf is a common vegetable that belongs to the mint family, with a mild herby flavour somewhat similar to anise and basil; it is widely used in Korean cuisine as vegetable, kimchi, flavouring, or wrap.

Perilla leaf isn't usually found in Hong Kong cuisine, so I learnt this wonderful leaf late after I moved to downtown Toronto, where Korean cuisine is broadly embraced. 

Funny is that my first experience of perilla leaf wasn't a nice one.  I always noticed the herby note of these vivid green leaves, but I'd never realized how strong it could taste when putting the whole piece of leaf in the mouth, along with the hot rice or spicy marinade.  I remember I swallowed it down hard, followed by a full glass of water and a few bites of other side dishes.

After that, I tried to stay away from perilla leaves, but I still bought them whenever I go to the Korean supermarket, just because I was attracted to their beautiful look.  Once I have them, I have to cook them, right?  Through time, I learned to enjoy its distinct flavour and perilla leaf kimchi has become the Korean recipe I make most often and enjoy most by far.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.

You can buy perilla leaves at Korean supermarkets.

Perilla leaves are available all year around, but their have much better leaves in summer.

Perilla Leaf Kimchi 

紫蘇葉泡菜

Kimchi

Ingredients:

15-20 pcs Perilla Leaves

2 tablespoons Glutinous Flour

1/2 cup Water

4 tablespoons Fish Sauce

2 tablespoons Red Chile Flakes

1 tablespoon Garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon Ginger, peeled and minced

How to make it:

1. Rinse the perilla leaves under cold running water.  Drain and set them aside.

2. In a glass bowl, combine the glutinous rice with 1/2 cup of water.  Mix it well.  Microwave the mixture for about 30 seconds; stir well.  Then return it back to the microwave to heat it for another 25-30 seconds, or until the mixture become gluey.

Don't over heat it, otherwise the mixture will turn lumpy or harden and it will have to start over again.

3. Combine the rest of the ingredients except the perilla leaves into the glutinous mixture.  Stir it until it becomes chilli paste.

4. Spread 1-2 teaspoons of the chilli paste on a perilla leaf.  Then, place another perilla leaf on top, and spread the chilli paste on it again.  Repeat this process until you finish all the perilla leaves.

5. Store the perilla leaves in an air-tight container.  Leave it at room temperature for two days before serving it.  Transfer the rest to the fridge and it can keep up to 4 days.

6. To serve, wrap a small bite of rice with a perilla leaf, and then put the whole thing in the mouth.

Dandelion Flower Cookies and Pickled Buds｜蒲公英曲奇｜醃蒲公英花蕾

These bright yellow flowers are not weeds. They are food.

Starting from late spring, hundreds of thousands of bright yellow dandelions have popped up from road sides, parks, and gardens, after their look-alike cat’s ears subside.

It is the prime time to forage the dandelion buds and flowers for recipes.

Two weeks ago, I mentioned dandelion cookies to my five-year-old son. He didn’t know what they were, but he was attracted to the sound of cookies. “Mommy, if you make them, I will eat them all!” he said. So I started to look for some good dandelion for this recipe.

In the city, it may be easy to see dandelions everywhere, but it can be a challenge to look for a batch of clean ones. I need to check the environment carefully, making sure there would be no risk of car exhaust, litter, or animal droppings before getting my hands on the plants. Unfortunately, where I live is a very popular dog walking path and I don’t dare to pick any dandelions around here to feed my family, no matter how beautiful they look.

So I decided to walk around the city to look for a patch of clean dandelion. I know it may sound crazy to many people (even to my husband).  But a patch of healthy and clean dandelions means that we will be less likely to swallow chemicals or other unpleasant substances into our stomachs.

People often wonder why I treasure dandelions so much, while others just want to kill these plants with all they can. Then, it is because I know these bright yellow spring plants are food — a type of highly nutritious food. All parts of a dandelion, from the flower to the root are edible, and they are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, iron, and trace minerals. When they are lying everywhere around me, I feel guilty not to use them and just let them to fade away with the season.

So when my In-laws invited us over for a dinner yesterday, I was quite excited. First, it was because I always enjoyed their company; second, it was because I could get some dandelions in their healthy lawn.

To make about 30 dandelion cookies, I used about 1/4 cup of dandelion petals. Since the green part of the dandelion heads taste slightly bitter, I omitted them in my recipe here.

Dandelion Cookies

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Dandelion Petals

1/3 cup Butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups Flour, sifted

1/3 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

a pinch of Salt

How to make:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 360F.

2. Quickly rinse the flower heads in the water to remove any dirt or debris; dry them on paper towel.

3. Separate the yellow petals from the green parts. We will only use the petals for this recipe.

4. To make the dough, mix the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs and salt; continuously mix it until it’s incorporated.

5. Add in flour, 1/3 at a time. Mix it and form it into a dough. The texture of the dough should resemble your earlobes. Adjust the texture with extra flour or water if needed. Add dandelion petals and mix well.

6. Roll the dough into small balls and lay them on baking tray. Press the dough down with a folk to create the pattern. Bake them in the oven for 10 minutes.

These dandelion cookies are rich in egg flavour with a slight hint of dandelion. They are good pair with black tea.

Dandelion buds

Dandelion buds are known good for pickling and be eaten as capers. When choosing the buds, find those are tightly closed and bright green because they contain the most floral flavour.

Pickled Dandelion Buds

Ingredients:

Dandelion buds, rinsed

1 cup Hot Water

2 tablespoons White Vinegar

2 teaspoons Sugar

1 Bay Leaf

How to make:

1. Combine together the water, vinegar, and sugar; stir it until it’s dissolved.

2. Add bay leaf and dandelion buds. Chill it in the fridge for two days before using.

Dandelions are finally back (with dandelion recipes) ｜ 蒲公英咖啡。蒲公英醃菜

 I’ve been waiting for dandelions to come back since the middle of last winter. The whole plant is delicious, but it was the roots I was longing for. Dandelion roots can be used to make tea that is nutritious and cafferine-free.

Dandelions start coming up around mid April and flower until early summer, but the best time to harvest the roots is in April when the young leaves are just starting to develop, before the plant blossoms. At that time, most of the nutrients that have been stored up for the winter are still in the plants. Finding a day after the rain to dig up the roots will lead to an easier harvesting since the soil is loosened.

At Easter, I spent nearly two hours in my in-law’s garden to dig out these “teasures” and they were both very happy that I cleaned up their “weeds”.

After separating the roots and the leaves, I cleaned them under running water a few times and made sure there was no dirt, debris, or other plants like moss mixed inside them.

      To make the tea is very simple:

1. 1. Cut the roots into pea size. Place them on parchment paper. Roast them at 360F until they are totally dried out.
2. 2. Grind the roasted roots into finer powder with a stone grinder (which was what I used) or a food processor. Keep the powder in an air-tight container and it can keep in good condition for up to six months.
3. 3. Whenever you want to enjoy this beneficial drink, just brew it like the normal tea you would drink. My preference is 2 flat teaspoons to 1 cup of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and then pour it into the root powder. Let it steep for about 8–10 minutes and it is ready. I like mine with a splash of milk and some sugar.

Dandelion Tea:

I also used the dandelion greens to make a kimchi dish. I used the young leaves here because they are less bitter and much more tender. For people like my family and I who have little tolerance for bitterness in food, mature dandelion leaves are just too much to handle.

Kimchi Dandelion:

Ingredients:

20 stalks Young Dandelions, green part only

2 teaspoons Salt

Seasoning:

2 teaspoons White Vinegar

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon White Sesame, toasted

¼ teaspoon Ginger, ground

1 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes

DIRECTION:

1. Combine salt and dandelion in a bowl; rib it evenly. Leave it for 2o minutes for the bitter water to come out.

2. Squeeze out as much water as you can. Then rinse the dandelion under running water. Squeeze out the excess water from the dandelion again.

3. Add the seasoning to the dandelion. Mix well and taste it. Adjust the seasoning if it is needed. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving. For the best flavour, leave it in the fridge overnight before use.

I enjoy eating this kimchi with a bowl of very warm rice.