Shiso Fabulous

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This week the CSA box had a big bunch of shiso. I haven’t eaten shiso—also called perilla, beefsteak plant, or sesame leaf—since I lived in South Korea over 15 years ago, so the bunch in my box inspired me to research traditional Korean dishes this week.

Perilla frutescens, or shiso, is an easy to grow herb in the mint family that is usually planted in the spring and harvested in the summer and fall, unless you live in a climate like Southern California, where it can be grown year round. Shiso is rather expensive in the grocery store, so it’s great that it is so easy and prolific to grow organically.

Shiso was brought to the United States in the late 1800s by Asian immigrants. It has quickly naturalized and become a common weed of pastures and roadsides in the southeastern United States. Found growing in sunny open fields, roadsides, waste places and open woodlands, shiso is a very attractive plant for the garden, and attracts butterflies and other pollinators.

Shiso leaves are either red or green, the red shiso is often described as having an anise flavor, whereas the green variety is said to be spicier and more like cinnamon. The leaves are rich in calcium and iron, and are used in Chinese medicine to treat asthma, colds, flu and other respiratory ailments.

The Japanese, in particular, use the red variety to color umeboshi and pickled ginger. Perilla seeds form an essential part of the famous seven spices of Japan, which originated more than 300 years ago in Kyoto. Green perilla leaves are often wrapped around sushi or served with “sashimi” as a garnish. They also are added to soups, tempura or dried and sprinkled over rice. Japanese chefs add red perilla to tofu or bean curd dishes or use it wrapped around pieces of meat.

Shiso has a unique flavor: pungent and grassy, it contains strong flavors of spearmint, basil, anise and cinnamon. Slicing it into long skinny strips really brings out these flavors. Most sushi fans are probably familiar with the leaf, but chopped shiso buds are especially delicious. Shiso seeds are packed with aromatic flavor, and they’re especially good toasted and crushed on top of sashimi-grade salmon.

I like shiso:

julienned, and sprinkled on a simple citrus or mixed green salad.
in tea infusions; make a pot of your favorite green tea, and toss in a handful of shiso leaves.
minced into or as a leaf wrap for tuna salad—shiso seems to LOVE being with tuna.
chopped up with fresh fruit (plums, especially).
chopped up and added to roasted or stir-fried veggies.
as a leaf wrap for barbecued meat or tofu.
in scrambled eggs, especially with a generous spoonful of unsweetened yogurt.

Here’s a delicious, traditionally Korean way to use up that extra shiso and nourish your digestive system:

Gaennip Kimchee (Korean Pickled Shiso Leaves)
Courtesy of Wandering Chopsticks

A bunch of shiso leaves, about a 2-inch height if you loosely stack them
Sea salt
2 tsp. mam ruoc (Vietnamese or other Asian fermented shrimp paste)
2 tsp. nuoc mam (Vietnamese or other Asian fish sauce)
2 tsp. gochujang (Korean chili paste), or more if you like spicy
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch knob ginger, minced

Wash shiso leaves and remove stems.
Stack the leaves putting a layer of sea salt in between every other leaf or so.
Put the leaves in a bowl with just enough water to cover. Leave for several hours or overnight.
Drain leaves.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together until you get a loose paste.
Using a butter knife or the back of a spoon, spread a little bit of the paste in between every other leaf or every third leaf, until all the chili paste is used up.
Fold up the whole stack and place into a clean, sterile glass jar.
Add water until the leaves are covered, then close the jar.
Leave in a cool, dark place to ferment. This takes about a week, though in cool weather it could take longer.
To serve, make a small plate of the leaves to be eaten as a side dish, or wrap a leaf up with some lettuce and daeji bulgogi (Korean spicy pork), roll and enjoy!