Elevate your salads with a homemade dressing! This vibrant Perilla Leaf Salad Dressing is a blend of herby, savory, and sweet flavors that will bring any dish to life.
I love Korean food, but recently I’ve been creating recipes that are different from the usual side dishes I serve when we host family and friends. This Perilla Leaf Salad Dressing is inspired by Shiso Dressing, but it’s oil-free and features additional aromatics for a nice twist.
This dressing is a balance of fresh, herby, savory, sweet, and tangy flavors. The blend of the herbs, aromatics, and seasoning turned out so fragrant and refreshing that, in the words of my wife, “Babe, this is brilliant!” It’s perfect in the sense that no one ingredient overpowers another, and it just harmonizes nicely, so I’m really excited to share this with everyone! Bonus, this is a healthy dressing mainly because Perilla Leaves are!
Ingredients
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- Perilla Leaf – This is the key to the recipe! Perilla leaves are minty, herby, nutty, and slightly bitter in flavor. They’re rich in antioxidants and essential fatty acids, so it’s a great wrap for Korean BBQ or Kimbap or an additional topping to Bibimbap or Korean Zucchini Pancake. You can usually find these in Korean or Japanese grocery stores.
- Green Bell Pepper – Additional herby flavor to the dressing.
- Garlic and Jalapeño – For freshness and spice.
- Soy Sauce – The dressing does not use salt, so this will be the main source of savor and umami.
- Apple Vinegar – This is not apple cider vinegar; this is a Korean vinegar that’s sweet and tangy so use any sweet vinegar in place of it. The mild tang complements the soy sauce really well.
- Sugar or Monkfruit – This will balance out the savory, tangy, and spicy flavors from the other ingredients. You can use sugar or alternative sweeteners like erythritol or monkfruit.
- Lime Juice – The tanginess and sweetness from the juice will complement the perilla leaves and green bell pepper.
Instructions and Uses for Perilla Leaf Salad Dressing
Rinse perilla leaves gently, then pat dry.
In a blender, combine perilla leaves, deseeded green bell pepper and jalapeño, garlic, soy sauce, apple vinegar, sugar, and lime juice. Blend until homogeneous.
For a quick and easy salad, I used Baby Spinach mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. Drizzle the sauce all over the salad and enjoy!
This dressing is very versatile! Aside from using it on other types of salads like cabbage, cucumber, etc. You can also use this as:
- Additional zing to marinades, specifically for chicken, seafood, and vegetables
- Sauce for grilled meat, as it can serve as a palate cleanser
- Brighten up simple rice bowls, sandwiches, or wraps
How to Store Perilla Leaf Salad Dressing
Store this in a clean, air-tight container to maintain the freshness. It will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days. Simply mix thoroughly before using.
Other healthy recipes you can add to your meals:
- Shirataki Noodle Salad
- Bok Choy Stir Fry
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Korean Scallion Salad
- Korean Broccoli Banchan
Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!
Perilla Leaf Salad Dressing
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Salad Dressing
- 30 grams Perilla Leaf
- 1/2 of whole Green Bell Pepper 30 grams
- 1/3 of whole Jalapeño 12 grams
- 1 tbsp Garlic
- 1/3 cup Sugar or Monkfruit
- 2 1/2 tbsp Apple Vinegar
- 4 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup Lime Juice
Salad Mix
- Baby Spinach Mixed Greens
- Cherry Tomatoes or Tomato Slices
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
- Rinse perilla leaves gently, then pat dry.
- Combine perilla leaf, bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, sugar, apple vinegar, soy sauce, and lime juice in a blender and blend until homogeneous.
- Drizzle the sauce over the salad mix and enjoy!
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