Shiso Pesto is a pesto made with perilla instead of basil. It has a slightly pungent, minty flavour compared to pesto made with basil. It can be used as a complete substitute for regular pesto.
I referenced Nagi’s Pesto! recipe (I even copied the exclamation mark for the recipe title😅) to create my Shiso Pesto, but I used walnuts instead of pine nuts and neutral-flavoured oil. The other ingredients are identical, with slight adjustments to the quantities.
I made Shiso Pesto because my garden is full of shiso plants and I wanted to make use of them. How I ended up with so much shiso is quite astonishing.
I used to have just a couple of shiso plants, but when my house renovation started a couple of years ago, the garden bed was completely neglected. The soil where the shiso used to grow was stamped on by tradesmen, and covered in footprints.
When I saw it, I gave up and thought of growing shiso again from seeds after the renovation was completed.
But to my surprise, I found many seedlings sprouting in the first spring after the renovation. The seeds must have been blown around and scattered throughout the garden, as they are now growing everywhere – strong and healthy. I hope I can continue to harvest shiso every summer.
Shiso Pesto aka Shiso Genovese (紫蘇ジェノベーゼ)
Pesto made from a particular basil from Genoa is called Pesto alla Genovese. But in Japan, people call pesto ‘jenobehze’ (ジェノベーゼ), which is the Japanese way of pronouncing Genovese.
They use this term for all kinds of pesto, regardless of the type of basil or other herbs used. To distinguish pesto made with different herbs, the name of the herb is added before the word Genovese. Hence, today’s recipe is called Shiso Genovese in Japan.
The adoption of the word Genovese for pesto in Japanese is technically incorrect, because Genovese has nothing to do with Pesto itself – it is an adjective and noun meaning ‘of/relating to Genoa’.
When it comes to pesto pasta (see the photo above), the Japanese naming becomes more confusing. In Japan, green Pesto Pasta is called Genovese Pasta (ジェノベーゼパスタ). But in Western countries, Genovese Pasta refers to a beef ragù pasta, which is brown in colour.
It must have been lost in translation!!
What’s in my Shiso Pesto (Japanese Perilla Pesto)
It is very similar to Nagi’s Pesto! recipe.
- Shiso leaves
- Walnuts
- Finely grated parmesan
- Cooking salt
- Black pepper
- Small clove of garlic
- Untoasted sesame oil (Taihaku sesame oil) or grapeseed oil, etc.
You will need quite a lot of shiso – about 40-45 leaves. I used walnuts but you can substitute pine nuts or cashew nuts.
I wanted to retain the delicate fragrance of shiso as much as possible, so I used an oil with a neutral flavour instead of olive oil. Because olive oil has a slightly bitter taste, particularly the quality, fresh extra virgin olive oil, Shiso Pesto can become bitter when made with olive oil. Shiso itself also has a slight bitterness and addition of olive oil makes it more pronounced.
How to Make Shiso Pesto (Japanese Perilla Pesto)
There is very little involved in making Shiso Pesto. The most time-consuming part is pat-drying 40 shiso leaves.
- Wash the shiso leaves and pat them dry using kitchen paper.
- Remove the stems, as they are stringy. Tear each leaf into 4-6 small pieces. I stack about 10 leaves and tear them together.
- Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blitz until the shiso and walnuts are finely chopped and smooth.
You can also use a stick blender. Put all the ingredients in a deep bowl and blitz until smooth.
Shiso Pesto is not just for Pesto Pasta
Like regular pesto, Shiso Pesto goes well with pasta. So, I also posted Shiso Pesto Pasta today. But there are many other ways to use it (see the sample photos in the Meal Ideas section):
- As a dip or spread on crackers/bruschetta
- As a sauce for chicken or fish
- As a dressing for Caprese salad
- Mix with cream cheese and serve on crackers
- Mix with Kewpie mayonnaise as a salad dressing
- Shiso Pesto and mayo or cheese on toast.
Shiso Pesto is a quick and easy recipe – it takes only 10 minutes to make. It keeps about 3-4 days in the fridge and 1 month in the freezer.
If not using immediately, store it in a jar or an airtight container. Cover the surface with the oil used in the pesto (photo above), then seal with a lid. Because of the oil in the pesto, it doesn’t become rock hard in the freezer, which is a bonus when you only need a small amount of it.
Yumiko
Shiso Pesto is a pesto made with perilla instead of basil. It has a slightly pungent, minty flavour compared to pesto made with basil and can be used as a complete substitute for regular pesto.
- 1 cup shiso leaves (tightly packed, 40-45 leaves, note 1)
- 30 g (4 tbsp) walnuts (note 2)
- 25 g (¼ cup tightly packed) parmesan, finely grated
- ⅓ tsp cooking salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 1 small clove garlic , crushed
- 4½ - 4⅔ tbsp untoasted sesame oil (note 3)
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Cut off the stems of the shiso leaves and tear them into 4-6 smaller pieces.
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Put 4 tablespoons of oil (note 4) and the remaining ingredients in a food processor or a blender (note 5).
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Blitz until the shiso and walnuts are finely chopped and smooth. You may need to scrape down the side of the container once or twice to ensure even blending.
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If the pesto is too dry, add the remaining oil, and blitz again.
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If you are not using the pesto immediately, store it in an airtight container or jar, covering the surface with the thin layer of oil (not in the ingredients list). This will prevent discolouration on the surface.
1. I used homegrown shiso, so the size of the leaves varied. If you buy shiso leaves at a Japanese grocery store, their size is more uniform. One cup of my shiso weighed 30g, but this can vary depending on the moisture content.
2. Instead of walnuts, you can use cashew nuts or pine nuts.
3. The untoasted sesame oil I used is called Taihaku sesame oil. You can substitute it with grapeseed oil or another neutral-flavoured oil so that the delicate flavour of shiso is retained.
Avoid olive oil, particularly the high quality, extra virgin olive oil, as it will make the Shiso Pesto slightly bitter.
4. The amount of oil required can vary due to variations in the quantity of shiso. Start with 4 tablespoons, then check the consistency. If it's too thick, add the remaining oil.
5. You could also use a stick blender. Put all the ingredients in a deep bowl, then blitz them.
6. It makes about 150ml (⅗ cup) of Shiso Pesto, which is sufficient to make Pesto Pasta for 3-4 servings.
Meal Ideas
A typical Japanese meal consists of a main dish, a couple of side dishes, a soup and rice. I try to come up with a combination of dishes with a variety of flavours, colours, textures and make-ahead dishes.
I mentioned in my post 6 ways to use Shiso Pesto other than Pesto Pasta. Instead of suggesting meal ideas, which is a bit difficult with Shiso Pesto, I can show you photos of these dishes.
- As a dip or spread on crackers/bruschetta – Shiso pesto topped with sliced tomatoes and boiled egg.
- As a sauce for chicken or fish – Sautéed John Dory with pesto sauce and polenta. I added more oil to loosen the sauce.
- As a dressing for Caprese salad – I used sliced tofu instead of mozzarella (healthier!).
- Mix with cream cheese and serve on crackers.
- Mix with Kewpie mayonnaise as a salad dressing – octopus and cucumber salad with Shiso Pesto mayo dressing.
- Shiso Pesto, cheese, and Kewpie mayonnaise on toast – this is addictive!
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