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What is Yukari Furikake?
Yukari Furikake is one of the most popular rice seasonings in Japan. It’s made with red (purple) shiso leaves that have been soaked in the juices of Japanese pickled plums (umeboshi), then dried and crushed into a fine powder.
It has a fragrant and sour flavor that stimulates the appetite. Although it is primarily used to sprinkle over rice, it can be used over a whole range of dishes from noodles and pasta, to even snacks like potato chips, fries or popcorn!
If you want to get technical, this rice seasoning is actually called “aka shiso no furikake”. The name “Yukari” was trademarked by Mishima Foods and is their most popular product. Many people call the purple shiso furikake “Yukari” anyway, even if it’s not Mishima brand.
What are Shiso Leaves?
Shiso is an aromatic leaf that is commonly used in Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian cuisine. They come from the herbaceous Perilla plant, which is closely related to the mint family.
There are two main kinds of shiso. Green, known in English as Perilla leaves or Chinese basil, are most common and used in many everyday dishes as both an ingredient and a decoration. They are well-loved for their strong, refreshing and vibrant flavor. Red, on the other hand, are a little more bitter and astringent in taste. The season for red shiso is also relatively short which means they can be harder to find. Red shiso are sometimes known as Beefsteak leaves because of their deep color.
Red shiso leaves are most commonly used to make umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums), where they act as a beautiful natural food coloring. Since they are left soaking in the juices of the pickled plums, they take on a tangy and salty flavor which makes a delicious rice seasoning!
If you make your own umeboshi or find yourself with leftover red shiso leaves you don’t know what to do with, this recipe is perfect for you!
How I Developed This Recipe
After making my own umeboshi (recipe coming soon), I found myself with a bunch of leftover red shiso leaves and I didn’t want to waste them!
I decided to pickle the the unused leaves in store-bought red ume vinegar to mimic the flavor of umeboshi, and try my hand and making my own Yukari-inspired rice seasoning.
I’m not an expert in drying foods, but after some research and experimenting, I’ve found a few ways to dry these leaves that are convenient to do in a home kitchen! If you can get hold of some red shiso leaves, I hope you give this recipe a try!
Key Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Red Shiso Leaves: This recipe starts with fresh red shiso leaves, but I understand that these can be difficult to find outside of Japan. Sometimes you will find that store-bought umeboshi contains leftover leaves, so you can save those to make this recipe! And if you live in Japan, you can find a product called “momi shiso” where the aka shiso have been washed with salt and preserved in ume vinegar. Momi shiso looks like this. You can use the leaves from momi shiso.
- Salt: Sea salt is used to wash the leaves and draw out their astringency. It also adds flavor to the furikake. If using leaves from umeboshi or momi shiso you can skip the salt.
- Red ume vinegar: Used to flavor the red shiso leaves and essentially make your own momi shiso. Again, if you’re using the leaves from umeboshi or momi shiso, this can be skipped too. You can find red ume vinegar on Amazon (affiliate link).
- Extra salt or MSG: I personally prefer the homemade version, but if you want to make your homemade Yukari closer to the original, you’ll need to mix in a little extra salt and MSG.
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Jump to Full Recipe Measurements
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make homemade Yukari-style furikake at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
If starting with fresh leaves, place them in a bowl and cut off the thick stems.
If using momi shiso or leftover leaves from umeboshi, skip to step 3.
Wash them, shake them dry and place them in a glass bowl. Using glass will prevent staining your kitchen wares. Also, wear gloves otherwise you will end the process with purple hands!
For 100g of leaves, I use 1 tbsp of salt which should be roughly 18% of the leaves’ weight. Add half of the salt and massage thoroughly, then squeeze to release the astringent water and discard.
Add the other half of the salt and repeat. Discard the water again.
Place the leaves in a sealable freezer bag and add the red ume vinegar.
I recommend waiting at least 1 day before moving on to the next step, this will allow the vinegar to flavor the leaves.
You can store them in the bag for several months since the salt and vinegar will preserve them. For short-term storage, a cool place is sufficient but if you don’t plan to use them soon then I recommend refrigeration just to be safe.
When you’re ready to dry your leaves, remove them from the bag and place them on kitchen paper. Make sure there is something underneath the kitchen paper that won’t stain (glass chopping board or black chopping board etc).
Dab the top with kitchen paper too. This step will help them dry faster.
Use a net or a Japanese-style woven bamboo tray and lay out as many leaves as will fit.
Place them in a bright sunny place for several hours until dry and crispy.
If the weather is not on your side, you can use this microwave shortcut (although you will need to carry out the process in batches).
Place kitchen paper on a microwave-safe plate and spread out as many leaves as will fit. Avoid overlapping as this will slow down the drying process.
Microwave for 2 minutes at 600W, then flip the leaves over.
Continue to microwave in 20-second intervals until fully dried and crispy. If there are soft areas, they will become like a paste rather than a powder when ground.
Suribachi Method (Recommended for small batches): Place the leaves in a mortar and grind by moving the pestle in a circular motion.
Continue until the powder is fine with no large clumps.
Use a clean unused paintbrush (or Japanese yakumiyose) to brush the powder out of the grooves and into an airtight storage container.
Food processor method (For larger batches): Place the leaves inside the food processor and blitz until fine.
This homemade yukari-style red shiso rice seasoning is great for making rice balls, sprinkling over hot rice and flavoring a variety of dishes from noodles and pasta to salads.
I generally use about 1 tsp of seasoning per 100g rice ball.
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsHow to Store
Store homemade furikake in an airtight jar in a cool dark place to protect it from humidity. It can be kept for as long as a year. Similar to other dried herbs and spices, the flavor will start to deteriorate over time, even though it is still safe to eat.
FAQ
Yukari is a Japanese rice seasoning (furikake) made with dried red perilla leaves and salt. It is tangy and fragrant, and known for its iconic purple color.
Yukari is a Japanese girl’s name that means scent or beautiful. The name was trademarked by Mishima Foods after their red shiso furikake rice seasoning called “Yukari” gained popularity.
Yukari furikake is most commonly used by sprinkling over rice (either in a bowl or bento) or mixing with rice and making rice balls. It can also be used in other dishes such as noodles, pasta, salads or even to flavor snacks such as potato chips, fries or popcorn.
I hope you enjoy this homemade Yukari-style furikake recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Onigiri Fillings
If you love rice balls and are looking for more inspiration, check out some of these recipes!
- Salmon Flakes
- Kombu Tsukudani (simmered kelp)
- Sakura Denbu (pink fish flakes)
Yukari-Style Furikake (Red Shiso Rice Seasoning)
Ingredients
- 100 g red shiso leaves
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 100 ml red ume plum vinegar
- salt to taste (optional)
- Ajinomoto to taste (optional)
Instructions
How to Prepare Fresh Red Shiso Leaves
- Start by placing 100 g red shiso leaves in a bowl. Cut off the thick green-ish stems on the larger leaves.
- Wash them with cold water and place them in a glass bowl. Measure out 1 tbsp sea salt and sprinkle half of it over the leaves. Massage thoroughly. Wearing gloves will prevent staining your hands purple.
- Once all the leaves are thoroughly covered, squeeze them thoroughly to release the astringent liquid. It will be murky purple and a little foamy.
- Drain the liquid, then place the leaves back in the bowl. Add the other half of the salt and repeat.
- This time the liquid should be more vibrant and clearer. Discard and place the leaves in a sealable freezer bag.
- Add 100 ml red ume plum vinegar to the bag and scrunch it a few times to cover the leaves. Rest in the refrigerator for 1-7 days.
How to Dry
- When you are ready to dry your leaves, place a few sheets of kitchen paper on a dark plate or surface (something that won't get stained). Arrange the leaves on the kitchen paper and pat the tops dry (you will probably need to do this in batches depending on space).
- Sun Dry: Place the leaves on a bamboo tray or net and place them outside in direct sunlight for several hours until crisp. (Make sure not to use any metal mesh sieves as the vinegar in the leaves can discolor or damage them.)
- Microwave: Arrange the leaves on a fresh piece of kitchen paper placed on a microwavable plate. Microwave for 2 minutes at 600W.
- Microwave (continued): Place another piece of kitchen paper on top and flip them over. Continue to microwave in 20-second intervals until crisp. Make sure they are fully dried before moving on to the next step.
Grind to a Powder
- Transfer the dried leaves to a mortar and grind with a pestle until they become a fine powder. (Best for small batches)
- Alternatively use a spice grinder, coffee grinder or similar. This is recommended for larger batches. Once ground, you can add salt and/or Ajinomoto if you like (I usually don't).
- Enjoy with rice!
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