Lots of shiso!

[Richard 16]

Hi CHers! I've been coming here about three weeks and you all are great!

I grow green shiso (perilla) on the deck and it's coming in, and as usual there is a lot of it. I use it the obvious way -- for sushi -- and already infuse it in oil and make a pesto. I've shredded it on pizza and pasta, in an altered tomato/mozzarella salad (a touch of toasted sesame oil and a tiny bit of shoyu), and in general as a sub for basil. I also grow sweet basil. I also give away bunches to local sushi bars, although my favorite place doesn't want it...

So, I'm looking for some other ideas, especially as the leaves get big and unusable for sushi. (Too tough.)

Looking forward to the suggestions!

[lebelage]

You can make chimichurri out of it...
refrigerated it'll last for a week. best to make it in a mortar/pestle but food prrocessor it ok too.

[pitu]

found some old links, thought I'd share . . .
check out Yukari's many suggestions for shiso http://www.chow.com/topics/278318
and
an old but very informative NYT article about Japanese pickles
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage...

[hotoynoodle]

mix with scallions, ginger and sesame seeds and make fritters.

[Cynsa]

Here's what my gramma did...my obachan, that is!
Chop about 20 shiso leaves.
Chop whatever vegetables you have on hand; chiles, onion, carrots, green pepper...
Saute in a hot skillet with just a little oil, to soften veggies.
Add 1 teaspoon of miso or to taste... and a splash of mirin. Heat thoroughly and serve with hot rice.
Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator and use as a condiment.
My 83-year old mom makes her version very spicy - more hot chiles! She calls it "miso shiso".

[Richard 16]

1) Does she saute the shiso with the veggies?
2) Which type of miso? I would imagine a white or red miso would work best; perhaps a mugi miso. Or do different misos go better with different foods?

Sounds geat though, and I like how many leaves it uses!

[pitu]

Cynsa, I'm going to try that - THX!

Last year I used my purple shiso to make fresh okra pickles, along with chiles and vinegar
and infused some booze with shiso for a cocktail, although I don't recall the details....

[Cynsa]

vodka or sake or sochu in your cocktail?
and yum! I love okra... I'll try that :^) domo.

[Cynsa]

saute the chopped shiso with the veggies ...

[Kitchen Queen]

What about using them in a reverse sushi way - steam to soften then, use a stuffing of rice/crab or chopped shrimp type salad then roll with a little stuffing inside - sort of like a stuffed cabbage. I'd roll, toothpick and add a cherry or grape tomato to the top and wella -hors d'ouevres. :) Probably great with sliced grilled steak stuffing as well. :)

[Richard 16]

Great ideas so far! I make okonomiyaki, and the shiso would work well. I like the idea of trhe kimchee for the textural element as well as the spice/taste.

Throwing on the coals on the grill has great promise; I do that already with rosemary. I'll have to experiment with the shiso -- easy because the grill is already on the deck near the herbs.

Stuff as with grape leaves? Hmmmm... I'd think it would have to be with strong flavors. Perhaps some umeboshi paste in sushi rice with, maybe, some toasted sesame seeds. Steak sounds good too.

Again -- great ideas; thanks!

[EWSflash]

This just came to mind, I don't know if it's going to work or not, but have you thought about throwing a big handful of leaves and stems on the grill right before or while you're grilling? It works well with most herbs, infusing the food you're grilling with the aroma of the herb.

You can also chiffonade it and add it to salads.

[fudisgud]

i don't know if this will work for green shiso the same way it does for the korean perilla leaves but we sometimes batter them and made a light tempura with the leaves that is pretty good and also have made a type of pancake (jeon) with kimchee and perilla leaves that is pretty good as well. maybe you can also try wrapping things (like barbecue beef?) the same way they do in korean cuisine as well?