In this simple deep-fried dish, thin pork slices are rolled up with perilla leaves (kkaennip) and julienned chili peppers. They are then battered and deep fried until golden brown.
Like basil, perilla is a type of herb that belongs to the mint family. There are many varieties with distinct flavors across Asia. Korean perilla leaves tend to be large and have a unique aroma between mint and basil. I used a few perilla leaves that I picked from my container garden the other day to prepare this dish. The strong taste of the perilla leaves, nicely balanced with the sweetness of the chili peppers, gives a robust flavor to the mildly flavored pork.
Deep fried in light batter, the result is a crispy outside layer and a burst of flavor inside. These little delights are great for parties as they can be prepared ahead of time and fried right before being served. When they are cut in half diagonally, the presentation of the pork rolls certainly has a “wow” factor. Whether you serve this as an appetizer or a side dish, it is sure to be a big crowd pleaser!
- 8 thin pork slices about 1/8-inch thick
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated or 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- salt and pepper
- 8 Korean perilla leaves available in Korean markets
- 3 - 4 green chili peppers or 1 green bell pepper, julienned
- 3 - 4 red chili peppers or 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 cup twiguim garu premade tempura batter mix*
- 3/4 cup ice water
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
- canola or vegetable oil for deep frying
- *A premade batter mix can be found in Korean/Asian markets. If unavailable, beat 1 egg yolk in a bowl and mix in 3/4 cup ice water. Add 1 cup of flour. Mix until combined.
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Season the pork slices with ginger, salt and pepper. Set aside while preparing vegetables.Wash the perilla leaves and pat dry them. Julienne the peppers, about 4-inches long.
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To put together a roll, dredge a pork slice in the flour and place it on a flat surface. Place a perilla leaf on top along with 4 or 5 pieces of each color pepper. Wrap the pork and perilla leaf around the pepper pieces, folding in the sides. Roll up to form a nice finger shape. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients. Set aside while preparing the oil and the batter.
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Heat the oil to 375 degrees (or until it barely starts to smoke). In a small bowl, mix the batter with ice water for only a few seconds just until combined. (It is okay to have some visible lumps in the mixture. Do NOT over mix.)
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Roll the pork rolls in the flour to coat lightly. Shake off excess. Dip one pork roll at a time in the batter, coat well.
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Carefully add to the hot oil. Fry only 4 at a time, depending on the size of the fryer. (Overcrowding the oil will lower the temperature of the oil, resulting in soggy and oily rolls.) Flip over and fry until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Wait until the oil reaches 375 again before frying the second batch.
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Serve immediately with a sauce.
You may also like:
Gaji Bokkeum (Stir-fried Eggplants)
Hobak Gochujang Jjigae (Korean Spicy Zucchini Stew)
Tangsuyuk (Sweet and Sour Beef or Pork)
Eggplant rolls (Gaji Mari)
Kkaennip Jeon (Stuffed Perilla Jeon)
Samgyupsal Gui (Grilled Pork Belly) and Grilling Roundup
Gamjajeon (Potato Pancakes)
Korean-flavored Baked Chicken Wings
That certainly is a striking dish – the colourful swirls are really quite beautiful and I do love the scent of fresh perilla.
Hi! I am totally adding your blog to my google reader. I’m korean but I never learned from my mom how to cook! I’ve been trying to learn lately by reading korean food blogs and buying korean cookbooks. Thank you so much for sharing yuor recipes.
This looks amazing! I love perilla leaves and never had it in a fried roll with pork. Great flavors!
Beautiful presentation and picture! I can only imagine how good they taste. I’m going to have to keep my eye out for perilla.
Denise, Ali and Lisa – Thank you so much for stopping by. Hope you get to try this recipe.
Roxan – I started this blog because my two grown-up children want to learn how to make Korean food that they grew up with. I hope this blog helps you too. Thank you for your interest in my blog!
The perilla leaves might be really tricky to find in Bulgaria, but otherwise, I would add this to my to try list! Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!
This deep fried pork roll looks truly tasty. Thanks for sharing this great recipe. I wish I can have some of this right now. 😀 Thank you for voted for me.
These look terrific, I would really love to try to make these this very soon! Thanks!
YUM! Great flavors rolled up in crispy little packages!
Casey – Not sure what you have there, but I think any strong flavored wide-leaf herb would be good.
Hope you find something nice to use. Thanks for stopping by.
Liv, Natasha, and Sommer – Thank you very much for visiting!
This reminds me of a fried wrap with shrimp & what we call perilla or “shiso” in Japanese, that some of the mom’s used to make at our family potlucks. Yours looks delicious with the pork!
Mmmmm, so delectable!
This look so colorful in inside and also looks delicious!