Vegetables
Shiso flower spike
花穂 はなほ hanaho
Also known ashanaho, hanahojiso
At its best in Sep, Oct
When it is at its best
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
In seasonAvailable
How to cook
As a sashimi garnish
Strip the flowers off with chopsticks into the soy sauce; they add aroma and colour.
Tempura
Fried in a light batter, keeping the shape of the flowers.
In dressed dishes
The stripped flowers scattered over, for their scent.
How to choose
Flowers open over about the lower half of the spike, not further. The stem should look fresh.
Storage
Sensitive to drying. Wrap in damp paper, seal and refrigerate. Use within two or three days.
Main areas
Good to know
The flowering spike of the shiso plant. Both red and green shiso produce them, and the red is more often used with sashimi. Picked before the seeds set, its scent is finer than that of the seed spike. Grown under cover, it is shipped year-round.
