After discovering micro shiso in David Jones Food Hall I have managed to buy (and kill) two poor, little potplants of it before I even got the chance to use it in a dish (potplants shouldn't be stored in the fridge. Noted). Today I ventured out looking for something a bit more hardy, shiso leaves in their grown-up variety.

A popular herb in Japanese cuisine, shiso is a pretty, frilly leaf with the girlish purple blush. It can be used in any dish where you would usually use basil and has a unique cuminy, aniseedy, citrusy flavour. I found a big, healthy bunch in a well-stocked Asian supermarket (fellow Melbournites, it was Minh Phat Supermarket opposite foodie Mecca, Queen Victoria Market).