The Japanese traditionally use shiso as a garnish to sashimi, and it is used in certain sushi rolls.
He points to pickled plum, cucumber and shiso as a traditional sushi roll, and he notes that the julienned leaf is used as a garnish for a savory egg and bonito custard.
On Sono's bar menu is a shiso margarita, made like a regular margarita except the tequila is infused with shiso for a few days, and instead of salt being placed on the rim of the glass, a dry, salted shiso powder is used.
shiso - Asian(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-28)
I find that red shiso has less flavor than green, and is also a tougher leaf.
I only know if two ways that akajiso (red shiso) is used in Japan, though I am sure there must be other ways I do not know.
It is commonly used to make a type of tsukemono (pickle) and is also used dried in a type of furikake (that dried seasoning mixture you see most commonly sprinkled on rice).
Shiso, also called beefsteak leaf, aojiso, and green perilla, is a fresh herb with broad, jagged-edged green or purple leaves.
Red perilla (aka purple shiso) is also available and is widely used in making umeboshi (pickled plums.) Both are related to basil and mint, and possess a delicate mint flavor with undercurrents of cinnamon, citrus and licorice.
Young shiso shoots are eaten with sashimi (raw fish) and the leaves are pressed for their oil and even bottled for salad dressing.
AEZ : Vol. 39 (2004) , No. 3 357-362(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-28)
The composition of shiso oil which showed strong repellency against the adult cigarette beetles was analyzed by GC and GC-MS.
The mixture four major components of shiso oil, (−)-perillaldehyde (60.51%), (−)-limonene (14.42%), farnesene (11.26%) and β-caryophyllene (8.47%), exhibited a strong repellency against the beetles at a dose of 1 μl, but did not repel the beetles at a dose of 0.1 μl, and attracted them at a dose of 0.01 μl.
Also (−)-perillaldehyde and (−)-limonene being, in the ratio found in shiso oil, exhibited similar repellency and attractiveness against the beetles to the four components combined.
dx.doi.org /10.1303/aez.2004.357 (232 words)
Volume 10(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-28)
Shiso: It said "The shrine under ground might have been created to seal off the daughter of a Shinto priest who was touched by the anger of a tennyo 700 years ago".
Shiso: Perhaps the Shinto priest's daughter was turned into this monster and has been living here for the past 700 years.
Shiso: I have been waiting for you, Ceres...for the time when you would be mine again.
Pieces of chicken with a dab of umeboshi paste wrapped in shiso leaves and grilled is delicious.
I love shiso with japaneseumeboshi plums, but my favourite preparation is a rice paper wrap with shiso and fresh plums or other fruits like nectarines and mango, wrapped with red pepper, sunflower spouts, cracked pepper.
My neighbors to the east also have shiso in their yards because the seeds are blown by the wind and in this area we have prevailing winds out of the west.
ShisoMiso tastes like a cross between hoisin sauce and fermented fl bean paste (not as sweet as the former, but not as pungent as the latter).
A few weeks ago I picked up a bunch of fresh Shiso Leaves—something I've never cooked with before, but had experienced at Japanese restaurants—and used them to make a shisomiso.
Tonight I used the shisomiso in place of fl bean sauce in the classic Chinese chicken dish (I've never found a distinct name, but I've also never come across a Chinese cuisine cookbook that did not include a dish of hacked up chicken stir fried with fermented fl bean paste).
The Shiso Perilla Red (Akashiso), 'Perella frutescens 'crispa', is an intoxicating flavorful herb that should be as popular as basil or cilantro and it also is an attractive bedding plant.
Red Shiso Perilla have green leaves that resemble parsley except they have sharply serrated edges.
Description: Thinly sliced fresh root, traditionally pickled with fresh red shiso (beefsteak) leaves.
Treasured byproduct from traditional pickling of EDEN Umeboshi Plums with sea salt and shiso (beefsteak) leaf.
Description: A delicious, nutritious, and ready-to-use table condiment made from brown and fl sesame seeds, green nori flakes, and pickled dry roasted shiso (beefsteak) leaves.
Related to mint, shiso blends its delicate minty subtleties with citrus and licorice; the flavor of the purple leaves is more fruity and less minty than the green.
