If you’ve grown your own vibrant, nutrient-packed Red Shiso microgreens, you’ll know just how versatile they can be. One of the most traditional and delicious ways to enjoy them is by making Yukari - a fragrant, tangy, and slightly salty seasoning that pairs beautifully with rice, meats, vegetables, and even salads.
This simple recipe transforms your fresh Red Shiso into a pantry staple that you can use year-round.
Ingredients:
- 100 g of Red Shiso
- 18 g of sea salt
- 100 ml of plum vinegar
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place 100g of Red Shiso leaves in a bowl and mix with 18grams of Sea salt, massage the salt into the red shiso leaves and discard excess water drawn out from the leaves.
- Place the Red shiso leaves in a jar or glass container and add 100ml of plum vinegar into the jar and mix thoroughly, leave for 1-7 days in refrigerator depending on preference to pickle.
- To dry place in a dehydrator on lowest heating setting for several hours or until completely dry, if you don't have a dehydrator you can place it on several paper towels and place it near a window in sunlight and let it dry for 24-48 hours.
- When red shiso is completely dry, place it into a blender to blend into powder, if you don’t have a blender, you can use a mortar and pestle as well to grind it into a fine powder, add salt slowly to taste until you have a red shiso seasoning.
- You can use it to season rice, meats and vegetables
Serving Ideas:
- Classic: Sprinkle over steamed rice for a pop of color and flavor.
- Savory: Use as a seasoning for grilled meats or roasted vegetables.
- Fresh: Add a pinch to salads for a tangy lift
One of our favorite summer dishes is a Tomato Carpaccio with Red Shiso Yukari. Thinly slice fresh heirloom tomatoes, dust with Red Shiso seasoning, drizzle with olive oil and a splash of plum vinegar, then top with fresh plum slices and garnish with micro shiso leaves. Refreshing, vibrant, and perfect for warm days.
