|
Shiso is a magical herb. No, not that kind of magic. Though you may feel blissful upon eating Shiso wrapped around Maguro (Tuna) Sashimi. It is magical because it has a minty/basil full bodied flavor which combined with anything you eat will hit all your good tastebuds. The experience is like eating good quality Chocolate, though not as sweet. Some higher class Sushi restaurants will put Shiso on your sashimi-moriawase, but many mistake it for just a garnish. In the west, Shiso is named Perilla, or Beefsteak Plant. The Japanese use Shiso to flavor many recipes. The red variety is used when pickling vegetables and fruits, to which it imparts a pinkish color. "Umeshiso" is a kind of pickled apricot mixed with Shiso. It has a salty sour taste, and goes well with white rice.
I once grew a batch of Shiso from seed to 2 foot tall stalks. I had both red and green types. I ate shiso with just about everything that summer.
I discovered that Home Depot in Cupertino had baby Shiso plants this summer. I can't help but imagine that we have Shiso here because of the large Asian population in Cupertino. I grabbed a few red and green ones and put them in a pot set near the backyard lawn where the sprinkler oversprays.
Now I can enjoy Shiso again, and next year, I'm definitely going to grow some from seed once more.
|
