Marinated Shiso
I brought my pot of shiso indoors before the first below freezing temperatures to see if I could extend the growing season for just a bit. I had transplanted a few of each variety that had self sowed in my garden into a pot for one easy place to pick them when I need them. The rest I let grow wild for emergency purposes if I somehow ran out.
The ones not located in the pot had all gone to seed so that I may have another crop of them around my house next year. This however, posed an issue because that meant that fresh shiso would be hard to come by in the next few months, when they would be the most missed because of their deliciously fresh taste.
I don’t know how long the ones in the pot will last for me, or when they might go to seed themselves. So in the meantime, I’ve started pickling them for the winter to come.
They will actually keep for a long time like this, the soy sauce curing them during this pickling process. It’s a wonderful way to hold onto memories of summer.
I don’t know whether to call this kimchi or not, since I don’t have Korean pepper powder, nor did I use fish sauce, but the flavor is similar.
We had them with our dinner tonight and they were delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 dozen Perilla Leaves
- 2 radishes (or 2 inch piece of daikon) matchsticked
- 4 inch piece of carrot, matchsticked
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced thin (shishito or a small sweet pepper for less heat.)
- 2 tablespoons apple, matchsticked
- 4 tablespoons scallions, diced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons water
1. Wash perilla leaves well and pat dry.
2. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients (other than the perilla) and set aside.
3. In a glass jar or other container, place a perilla leaf at the bottom, drizzle some of the mixture on it, and add another perilla leaf on top. Repeat with the remaining leaves and then pour remaining mixture into the container. Close, place in the refrigerator, and allow to marinate for an hour. Will keep up to one and a half months in the fridge.
It might seem labor intensive, so you can mix quickly mix all the leaves in the bowl with the sauce, and then layer them that way. However, I enjoy the cultivation and the mindfulness of treating each piece individually. This is spicy so if you don’t like the heat, you can replace the jalapenos for a few thin pieces of a small sweet pepper or shishito pepper.