Shiso is a leafy herb of the mint family with a flavour between mint, basil and cumin. Green shiso is served with sashimi and sushi; red shiso colours umeboshi pickles.
What it is¶
Shiso is an annual herb of the mint family with broad, serrated leaves, sold in Japan in neat stacks of ten. It comes in two main colours:
- Green shiso (aojiso, also sold as ōba, "big leaf") is the one served with sashimi and sushi, shredded into salads and fried in tempura.
- Red or purple shiso (akajiso) has a stronger, more astringent flavour and is used mainly for colour and pickling, most famously in umeboshi, the salted Japanese apricots that it stains red.
Shiso is a form of Perilla frutescens. Another form, P. frutescens var. frutescens, has larger, rounder, flatter leaves with a more grassy, sesame-like flavour; it is the Korean kkaennip (often translated as "perilla leaf" or "sesame leaf", though it is not related to sesame). In Vietnam, perilla with green tops and purple undersides is tía tô. In English, "shiso" and "perilla" are often used interchangeably.
Origins and history¶
Perilla is native to East Asia and has been cultivated in China for well over a thousand years, both as a medicinal herb and for its oil-rich seeds. It reached Japan and Korea early, and in both countries it became central to the cuisine: in Japan as a leaf herb and pickling herb, in Korea mainly for its leaves and for perilla seed oil (deulgireum) and ground seed powder.
Perilla seed oil was historically important in Japan as a lamp oil before rapeseed oil replaced it. Shiso spread to the West more recently, first with Japanese restaurants and then as a fashionable garnish; it is now grown commercially in Europe and North America, and in parts of the eastern USA the escaped plant has become a weed known as "beefsteak plant".
Flavour and aroma¶
Green shiso has a bright, complex aroma: mint and basil at first, then citrus, cumin, cinnamon and a green, grassy astringency. The dominant aroma compound is perillaldehyde, which is found in few other plants and gives shiso its unique character.
Red shiso is more earthy and astringent, with a stronger herbal bitterness, which is why it is usually pickled, salted or cooked. Korean kkaennip is milder and more nutty, with notes of anise and mint.
In the kitchen¶
Use shiso leaves whole as a wrap or garnish, finely shredded as a herb, or fried.
- With raw fish. A green shiso leaf is the traditional bed for sashimi, and its flavour cuts the richness of oily fish. Tuck a leaf into hand rolls or nigiri with a little wasabi, or roll it into cucumber or plum-paste maki (ume shiso maki).
- Tempura. Batter one side only of whole leaves and fry briefly; they make one of the best vegetable tempura.
- Shredded. Roll leaves tightly and slice into a fine chiffonade for noodles, rice, tofu, salads and pasta. Shiso and plum, shiso and ginger, and shiso and citrus are classic combinations.
- Red shiso. Salted red shiso leaves are layered with ume to make umeboshi; dried and ground, they become yukari, a purple, salty-tart rice seasoning. In summer, red shiso is boiled with sugar and citric acid to make a vivid pink cordial, shiso juice.
- Korean kkaennip. Used as a wrap for grilled meat and rice (ssam), pickled in soy sauce and chilli (kkaennip jangajji), stuffed and fried, and chopped into stews.
- Vietnamese tía tô. One of the leaves on the herb plate served with noodles, rolls and grilled meat, and added to some soups.
💡 Slap, don't chop
Like basil, shiso bruises and darkens quickly. For a garnish, lay a leaf on your palm and slap it once to release its aroma, then serve whole. For shredding, use a very sharp knife and cut just before serving.
Buying and storing¶
Fresh shiso is sold in Japanese and Korean grocers and sometimes in supermarkets. Choose crisp, unwilted leaves. Store them upright in a glass with a little water in the base, covered with a bag, in the fridge, or wrapped in damp paper towel in a box. They keep for about a week.
Shiso does not dry well for most purposes (red shiso yukari is the exception). Leaves can be preserved in soy sauce or salt. See storing fresh herbs.
Substitutes¶
There is no exact substitute. A mix of mint and basil, perhaps with a pinch of ground cumin or a few coriander leaves, gives a rough approximation. Thai basil is a reasonable stand-in in Vietnamese dishes. Korean kkaennip and Japanese shiso can be swapped for each other, bearing in mind their different flavours.
Pairs well with¶
Raw fish, tuna, salmon and mackerel; rice; ume plums; ginger and wasabi; cucumber; tofu; soy sauce, miso and ponzu; citrus, especially yuzu; noodles; sesame; mint and coriander leaf.
Growing your own¶
Shiso is a half-hardy annual and easy to grow in a warm summer, though germination can be slow and erratic.
- Sowing. Soak seed overnight, then chill it in the fridge for a week or two before sowing; fresh seed germinates much more reliably. Sow indoors in April on the surface of moist compost (it needs light to germinate) at 20–25°C.
- Planting out. Plant out after the last frost in a warm, sunny spot with moist, fertile soil, or grow in pots.
- Harvesting. Pinch out the growing tips once plants have several pairs of leaves, to make them bushy, and pick leaves from the top down. Remove flower spikes to prolong leaf production; the flower buds and seed heads themselves are eaten in Japan.
- Self-seeding. Left to flower, shiso self-seeds generously, and in warm parts of North America it has become invasive.
Perilla contains compounds (perilla ketones) that are toxic to cattle and horses grazing on large amounts; the wild weed is a known livestock hazard in the USA. See growing herbs indoors.