I have a sheaf of shiso leaf and I need relief

October 5, 2023 10:01 PM

I have a bunch of fresh shiso and I would like to make something vegan.

Do you have a recommended broth or soup or other recipe that uses a lot of shiso but renders it soft? I ate some leaves raw and it seems way too fibrous/mealy for me in that state, and I usually love crunchy salad stuff so that was a surprise. The taste is supposed to be basil- or mint-like and that sounds great but I couldn't get past the raw texture.

My internet search powers are failing me. I'll be happy to find anything vegan that just uses up a lot of it and is delicious. Assume I have access to any cuisine or ingredient! Thank you for any suggestions.

(P.s. I know this is odd but I should rule out recipes that involve a blender, I just don't like the noise)

posted by panhopticon to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

Response by poster: P.p.s. If you know something full of shiso that's well known or popular enough that I might be able to find it served at a restaurant, I will totally give it a try at your suggestion!
posted by panhopticon at 10:02 PM on October 5, 2023

Dry it, break it up, and mix with salt and use it as furikake or yukari on rice.

I don't know of an entire shiso sheaf being used in soup. It's typically a garnish. A little bit goes a long way.
posted by AnyUsernameWillDo at 10:10 PM on October 5, 2023

Fry each leaf separately in tempura batter is another idea.
posted by AnyUsernameWillDo at 10:11 PM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]

Agree with the suggestion to fry individual leaves in tempura batter, I've had this at udon restaurants and oh delish!

But honestly, I've mostly eaten perilla leaf (Koreans use this over shiso) which is similar but not identical. There's a marinated version that is a great side dish to wrap around cooked rice. You can also blanch it and season it.

My mom likes to use it in kimbap as one of the filling ingredients. She rolls up a few (uncooked) leaves like a tiny cigar and places them along with the carrots, etc, or whatever else. You can definitely make a vegan version. You might find that having the shiso leaf in tiny julienned strips will make the texture less noticeable.
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:35 PM on October 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

It's lovely in shrubs and cocktails. You could probably make and freeze shiso simple syrup and use it at your leisure, or shiso infused vinegar might last awhile too.
posted by potrzebie at 10:43 PM on October 5, 2023 [4 favorites]

David Chang's shiso leaf, tomato, and silken tofu "caprese" salad is incredible and vegan.

I've substituted it for basil in italian pasta dishes and it works nicely.
posted by kdar at 1:12 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've eaten shiso leaves wrapping a ball of onigiri, but I think those were pickled, not raw. Pickled shiso is also chopped up and used as furikake on rice (but I guess you could also use it on salads or cold pasta).
posted by sukeban at 2:17 AM on October 6, 2023

You can make shiso “juice” to use a lot! That said , did you try shredding it? That’s a common way to incorporate into a salad.
posted by chocotaco at 4:15 AM on October 6, 2023

Ume-shiso maki. The shiso is raw, but its texture should be moderated by the other stuff. Also, this is delicious.
posted by adamrice at 5:58 AM on October 6, 2023

I usually make a shrub from shiso. Small amounts julienned add a nice flavor to salads.

Elizabeth Andoh has a recipe for Shiso Maki on her website.
posted by interbeing at 6:29 AM on October 6, 2023

Good for kimchi too, just ignore the fish sauce or substitute for vegan "fish" sauce. Maangchi recipe. The texture changes quite a bit.
posted by plant or animal at 8:23 AM on October 6, 2023

I love this recipe for soy-pickled perilla leaves. It's uncooked, but after 24 hours in the pickling liquid the leaves get soft. It will stay good in the fridge for at least a week (maybe longer, but for me a batch gets eaten in less than a week).
posted by Lexica at 11:42 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'll sometimes wrap sashimi in a shiso leaf and eat it, but I really like shiso. A vegan version would be a slice of avocado wrapped in shiso and dipped in soy sauce with wasabi is pretty good.

Making furikake is probably the best way of using up a bunch of shiso though. Why pay for yukari when you can make it at home?
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:15 PM on October 6, 2023

I'd go find a miso eggplant stir fry recipe that looks good, chop up some of that shiso and toss it in there for the last few minutes of cooking.
I like shiso salad dressing, so worth giving that a try too. https://cookpad.com/uk/recipes/15869946-oil-free-shiso-perilla-dressing
posted by karasu at 6:48 AM on October 7, 2023

I'd suggest using it as subsitute for seaweed in a miso soup (with tofu), air frying/roasting it to the point of brittleness a la roasted kale, or drying it and crumbling it in the way of furikake. Perhaps using it in a pickle brine with radish? Or just for flavouring a pot of rice (chuck it in with the rice and water)
Sweet-wise, maybe a plum/pineapple type cocktail, or just as a cold tea.

Are you growing it yourself or buying it? Only relatively new leaves are really soft enough to eat.
posted by womb of things to be and tomb of things that were at 8:52 PM on October 10, 2023