Chef Jeong-sun
Baechu-jeon (배추전, Napa Cabbage Pancake)
A Gyeongsang home pancake made from one whole napa cabbage leaf at a time, flattened at the rib, brushed in thin salted batter, and fried until sweet, tender, and quietly crisp at the edges.
Culinary Explorer
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Kkaennip-jeon (Stuffed Perilla Leaf Jeon)
Created by
Fragrant perilla leaves folded over a measured meat and tofu filling, then egg-dipped and pan-fried slowly until the leaf turns tender and the center cooks through.
Appetizers & Snacks
Korean
Holiday
Comfort Food
Potluck
35 min
Active Time
20 min cook•55 min total
Yield18 stuffed leaves, 4 to 6 servings
Kkaennip-jeon lives or dies by restraint. The leaf is thin, the filling is small, and the pan cannot be rushed. Overfill it and the meat pushes out. Fry it too hot and the egg browns before the center is cooked. This is not difficult food, but it asks for tidy hands.
My teacher, Master Seong-nyeo, made us weigh the filling once, then divide it by sight after that. 눈동냥, 귀동냥, borrowing with the eyes and ears, only works after the hand has learned the number. For one large perilla leaf, 1 rounded tablespoon of filling is enough. The leaf should still close flat, like a small green envelope.
On a holiday table, kkaennip-jeon sits beside donggeurang-ttaeng (small meat patties), saengseon-jeon (fish jeon), and skewered sanjeok, but it never tastes heavy because the perilla cuts through the meat. Make it for Chuseok, bring it to a potluck, or eat it warm with rice and kimchi on an ordinary evening. Write down the size of your leaves and the amount of filling that fit them. Memory is a borrowed bowl.
Jeon, foods coated in flour and egg then pan-fried, appears across Joseon-era records under names such as jeonya and jeonyueo, with versions made from fish, meat, vegetables, and mushrooms. Kkaennip-jeon is not a palace dish dressed for company; it belongs to the home and holiday table, where Korea's long use of perilla leaves and deulkkae (perilla seed) met the practical minced-meat fillings common in twentieth-century family cooking. It remains especially tied to Seollal and Chuseok jeon platters, though many homes now make it year-round as banchan or drinking food.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
kkaennip (Korean perilla leaves)
Quantity
18 large leaves
washed and dried very well
ground beef or ground pork
Quantity
200g
firm tofu
Quantity
150g
pressed and crumbled
onion
Quantity
1/4 small, about 40g
finely minced
carrot
Quantity
1 small, about 40g
finely minced
scallions
Quantity
2
finely chopped
garlic
Quantity
2 cloves
minced
soy sauce
Quantity
1 tablespoon
toasted sesame oil
Quantity
1 teaspoon
rice wine or mirin
Quantity
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
black pepper
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground
toasted sesame seeds
Quantity
1 teaspoon
lightly crushed
all-purpose flour
Quantity
1/3 cup
for dusting
eggs
Quantity
3 large
water
Quantity
1 tablespoon
for egg wash
kosher salt
Quantity
1/8 teaspoon
for egg wash
neutral oil
Quantity
3 to 4 tablespoons
for pan-frying
soy sauce
Quantity
2 tablespoons
for dipping sauce
rice vinegar
Quantity
1 tablespoon
for dipping sauce
water
Quantity
1 teaspoon
for dipping sauce
gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) (optional)
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
for dipping sauce
toasted sesame seeds
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
for dipping sauce
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| kkaennip (Korean perilla leaves)washed and dried very well | 18 large leaves |
| ground beef or ground pork | 200g |
| firm tofupressed and crumbled | 150g |
| onionfinely minced | 1/4 small, about 40g |
| carrotfinely minced | 1 small, about 40g |
| scallionsfinely chopped | 2 |
| garlicminced | 2 cloves |
| soy sauce | 1 tablespoon |
| toasted sesame oil | 1 teaspoon |
| rice wine or mirin | 1 teaspoon |
| kosher salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| black pepperfreshly ground | 1/4 teaspoon |
| toasted sesame seedslightly crushed | 1 teaspoon |
| all-purpose flourfor dusting | 1/3 cup |
| eggs | 3 large |
| waterfor egg wash | 1 tablespoon |
| kosher saltfor egg wash | 1/8 teaspoon |
| neutral oilfor pan-frying | 3 to 4 tablespoons |
| soy saucefor dipping sauce | 2 tablespoons |
| rice vinegarfor dipping sauce | 1 tablespoon |
| waterfor dipping sauce | 1 teaspoon |
| gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) (optional)for dipping sauce | 1/2 teaspoon |
| toasted sesame seedsfor dipping sauce | 1/2 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide nonstick or well-seasoned skillet, 10 to 12 inches
- •Shallow plates for flour and egg
- •Kitchen towel or tofu press
- •Instant-read thermometer, optional but useful
Instructions
- 1
Dry the leaves
Rinse the perilla leaves gently and dry them completely between towels. Water is the enemy here. A wet leaf sheds flour, the egg slides off, and the filling will not stay neatly sealed. Trim only the tough tip of each stem, leaving enough stem to hold the leaf while you fold.
- 2
Press the tofu
Wrap the tofu in a clean towel and press it for 10 minutes under a small plate, then crumble it fine. You should have about 120g after pressing. Tofu stretches the filling and keeps it tender, but only if the extra water is gone.
- 3
Mix the filling
In a bowl, combine the ground meat, pressed tofu, onion, carrot, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, salt, pepper, and crushed sesame seeds. Mix with your hand in one direction for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the filling turns sticky and holds together. That stickiness is what keeps the thin layer from crumbling inside the leaf.
If you want to check the seasoning, fry a teaspoon of filling in the pan and taste it. Do not taste raw filling. - 4
Flour the inside
Put the flour in a shallow plate. Lay one perilla leaf vein-side up, the duller side facing you. Dust the inside lightly with flour and shake off the excess. The flour is not for thickness; it is glue for the filling.
- 5
Fill and fold
Place 1 rounded tablespoon, about 18g, of filling on one half of the leaf and spread it into a thin, even layer, stopping 1/4 inch from the edge. Fold the other half over and press gently so the leaf closes flat. If the filling bulges, you used too much. Make all 18 before you heat the pan.
- 6
Coat with egg
Beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon water and 1/8 teaspoon salt until no streaks remain. Dust each folded leaf very lightly in flour on both sides, shake well, then dip in the egg. Let the excess egg drip back into the bowl. A thin coat cooks tender; a heavy coat hides the perilla.
- 7
Pan-fry slowly
Heat a wide nonstick or well-seasoned skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Lay in the stuffed leaves without crowding. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, then turn and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the egg is pale golden, the leaf has darkened and turned slightly translucent, and the filling is cooked through. Add more oil in small spoonfuls between batches.
For ground meat, the center should reach 71 C or 160 F. If you do not have a thermometer, cut one open from the thickest batch; there should be no pink center and the juices should run clear. - 8
Drain and serve
Move the finished jeon to a rack or a paper-lined plate in a single layer. Do not stack them while hot or the egg coating softens. Stir together the dipping sauce ingredients and serve the kkaennip-jeon warm, or at room temperature with rice and other banchan.
Chef Tips
- •Choose large, unbruised perilla leaves with stems still lively and edges not blackened. Small leaves taste good, but they punish the cook because they cannot hold a proper spoonful of filling.
- •Do not mince the vegetables lazily. Onion and carrot should be no larger than a grain of cooked rice, or they tear through the filling and make the folded leaf lumpy.
- •Medium-low heat is the correct heat. High heat makes pretty egg and raw filling, which is not a bargain worth making.
- •A tofu-free version can be made with 300g ground meat instead, but reduce the salt to 3/8 teaspoon and expect a firmer bite. The tofu is not filler in a shameful way. It is how the center stays gentle.
Advance Preparation
- •The filling can be mixed up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Keep it cold until you are ready to fill the leaves.
- •The leaves can be washed and dried several hours ahead, then layered between towels and refrigerated. Dry leaves make neat jeon.
- •You can stuff the leaves up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate them in a single layer, covered. Flour and egg them only right before frying.
- •Leftovers keep 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a dry skillet over low heat until warmed through; the microwave softens the egg coating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 155g)
Calories
315 calories
Total Fat
23 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
145 mg
Sodium
920 mg
Total Carbohydrates
11 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
16 g
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