Tanaka, Red Shiso Powder, 22g
Tanaka's Red Shiso Furikake: crushed red shiso with a clean, sour-herbal edge. Turns plain rice pink and bright. 22g.
Aka shiso furikake (赤しそふりかけ) is red shiso leaf, dried and crushed into fine flakes for seasoning rice. Tanaka Foods of Hiroshima finishes it for a clean, refreshing taste, and the pack calls out asatori (朝採り), red shiso picked in the morning. Mix it through hot rice and it turns a soft pink, with a sharp, herbal flavour that suits onigiri and bento. The pouch reseals.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Bright and clean: a sharp, herbal sourness that freshens rich food.
- Colour on the plate: tints rice a soft pink-purple, classic for onigiri.
- Fine flakes: mixes evenly through rice without clumping.
- Resealable pouch: the zip top keeps it dry between uses.
How to Use
- Onigiri: the classic: mix through hot rice before shaping.
- Plain rice and bento: sprinkle over rice for colour and a sour lift.
- Pickles and vegetables: toss with cucumber, cabbage or daikon for a quick pink pickle.
- Cross-cuisine: season pasta, potato salad, grilled fish or a vinaigrette.
Shiso (紫蘇), or perilla, is a leaf in the mint family that grows in green and red forms. Red shiso, aka shiso (赤紫蘇), is the one that gives umeboshi pickled plums their colour, and once the plums are done the leaves themselves are dried and crushed into a seasoning. Furikake (ふりかけ) means "something sprinkled over". Tanaka Foods (田中食品) in Hiroshima has made furikake for more than a century; its Ryoko no Tomo (旅行の友, "travel companion") went on sale in the early Taisho era.
Learn more: Furikake
Pairs with: Tanaka 6 vegetable furikake, Momoya umeboshi paste and katsuobushi and nori furikake.
What does red shiso furikake taste like?
Sharp and fresh. The first impression is a herbal, slightly minty aroma, then a clear sourness and saltiness, close to the taste of umeboshi but lighter and more fragrant. There is no heat. The flakes are fine and dry, so they melt into hot rice and spread their flavour and colour evenly. Tanaka's version is finished on the clean, refreshing side, which keeps it from tasting heavy.
Product Details
| Type | Aka shiso furikake (赤しそふりかけ, red shiso rice seasoning) |
| Brand | Tanaka Foods (田中食品), Hiroshima |
| Origin | Hiroshima, Japan |
| Net Weight and Format | 22g resealable pouch |
| Best Used As | Mixed through rice for onigiri, bento and pickles |
What is red shiso?
Red shiso, or aka shiso, is the purple-red variety of perilla, a herb in the mint family used across Japanese cooking. It is best known for colouring umeboshi pickled plums. Dried and crushed, it becomes a sour, fragrant rice seasoning. Green shiso, ao shiso or ooba, is the fresh leaf you see with sashimi.
How much should I use?
Start with about half a teaspoon per bowl of rice and adjust. For onigiri, mix it through freshly cooked rice so the colour spreads evenly, then shape. It is salty and sour, so taste before adding salt elsewhere. For a quick pickle, toss a teaspoon with sliced cucumber or cabbage and leave for ten minutes.
How should I store it?
Press the zip closed after each use and keep the pouch somewhere cool and dry, out of direct light. Moisture makes the flakes clump and dulls the colour. Use a dry spoon, and follow the best-before date on the pack.
SKU : S0378