Top 10 Perilla Leaf Recipes for Delicious Summer I. Perilla Leaf and Cucumber Salad Ingredients: 500g cucumber, 100g perilla leaves (red or green). Seasonings: Fine salt, MSG, sesame oil, white vinegar, sugar. Instructions: 1. Wash the perilla leaves, sprinkle with salt to draw out moisture, then chop finely. 2. Wash the cucumber, peel, and shred it. Place in a bowl, add fine salt, MSG, white vinegar, and a suitable amount of sugar, and mix well. Sprinkle the chopped perilla leaves over the cucumber shreds, drizzle with sesame oil, toss before serving, and plate to enjoy. Characteristics: Refreshing and light with a unique flavor. II. Soft-Fried Perilla Leaves Ingredients: 200g perilla leaves, 50g frying batter mix. Seasonings: Salt and pepper, 250g cooking oil. Instructions: 1. Wash the perilla leaves one by one, dry with a cloth, and place on a plate. Prepare the frying batter mix with an appropriate amount of water. 2. Heat oil in a wok. Dip each perilla leaf into the batter and deep-fry over low heat until both sides are golden brown. Remove and place on a plate. 3. After frying all the leaves, sprinkle with salt and pepper before serving. Characteristics: Crispy and savory with the unique aroma of perilla. III. Fresh Perilla Leaf and Fish Head Hot Pot Although Cantonese people generally prefer milder flavors, the hot, humid, and rainy weather calls for spicy food to expel dampness and stimulate the appetite. Perilla is a traditional Chinese medicine that releases the exterior and warms the body. Fresh perilla leaves are warm in nature with a pungent taste, helping to circulate qi and dispel stagnation. Their fragrant and spicy aroma makes them a popular ingredient in dishes. "Big fish head" refers to the head of a bighead carp, which is exceptionally large. Some may find its texture coarse, but bighead carp is far from ordinary; its head is considered exceptionally delicious. It's no wonder that Guo Moruo wrote a poem after tasting it: "Never in my life have I had such joy, feasting on big fish heads to my content." Fresh perilla leaf hot pot with a big fish head, with a sprinkle of pepper, enhances the flavor, removes fishiness, detoxifies, and expels dampness. Ingredients: 15g fresh perilla leaves, 1 big fish head, 3 slices of ginger, a little spring onion. Method: Wash and chop the perilla leaves. Split the fish head, remove the gills, wash, and marinate with salt. Coat with dry cornstarch. Heat a wok, add ginger, and briefly fry the fish head. Splash in a little Shaoxing wine. Add 1250ml (5 bowls) of water, bring to a boil, and cook until just done. Add the perilla leaves and spring onion, cook briefly, then season with salt. This recipe serves 3-4 people. IV. Perilla Leaf Fish Soup Method: Take a fresh fish, clean it, and briefly pan-fry the fish pieces. Then add potato chunks the size of dominoes and simmer together. The soup will gradually turn milky-white. Just before serving, sprinkle a handful of perilla leaves; the fresh aroma of the fish will intensify instantly. Ming Dynasty literature records that "perilla leaves can be eaten raw and make a delicious soup with fish." For the best results, use a high-quality carp. The perilla should be cut into fine threads and served separately in a white porcelain dish. A small forkful of perilla threads with a spoonful of fish soup is an exquisitely refined way to eat. V. Perilla Leaf Congee Ingredients: 1. Main ingredients: 100g japonica rice, 15g perilla leaves. 2. Seasoning: Brown sugar. Method: Cook the japonica rice into a thin congee. When the congee is done, add the perilla leaves and cook briefly. Stir in the brown sugar and serve. Note: Perilla leaves are effective in opening the lung's qi, expelling cold, promoting circulation, and relieving chest tightness. When paired with japonica rice, which strengthens the spleen and stomach, this congee is suitable for colds with aversion to cold, coughing, chest tightness, and other discomforts. Perilla congee is an excellent food for strengthening the stomach and relieving summer heat. VI. Stir-Fried River Snails with Perilla Leaf Ingredients: River snails, perilla leaves, satay sauce, minced garlic, fermented black beans, fine salt. Method: Heat oil in a wok. Add minced garlic, perilla leaves, satay sauce, and fermented black beans, and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the river snails and stir-fry continuously. Add a suitable amount of boiling water, season with fine salt, and stir-fry until cooked through. Thicken the sauce and drizzle with hot oil before serving. VII. Perilla Leaf Kimchi Ingredients: 30 fresh green perilla leaves, kimchi, chili powder, minced garlic, salt, and sugar to taste. Method: Place the kimchi and all seasonings in a dish. Arrange the perilla leaves crosswise on top of the kimchi. Cover the leaves with another layer of kimchi and seasonings. Marinate overnight for the flavors to infuse. Characteristics: This is a delicious side dish, suitable for people who often feel cold and have a poor appetite in winter. Kimchi is rich in vitamins and nutrients that replenish energy and relieve fatigue. VIII. Pickled Perilla Plums Using one kilogram of green plums and one kilogram of sugar as an example: Wash the plums and soak them in a strong salt water solution to remove bitterness. After three to five days, when the plums are slightly softened, remove the stems. Wash the plums with the same salt water, then place them in a clay jar. Divide the sugar into ten portions. First, add one portion of sugar and a cup of rice wine. Meanwhile, wash and dry five or six fresh perilla leaves. After a few days, when the plum juice has risen above the plums, sprinkle the perilla leaves evenly on top. Add one portion of sugar every month until all one kilogram of sugar is used up. Although pickled perilla plums become more delicious with time, it's hard to resist eating them when the jar is first opened the following year. A large jar of plums can disappear silently. Mashing and lightly boiling them, then cooling the liquid makes the famous perilla plum tea, perfect for cooling down on a hot summer day. If salt-pickled, they are also excellent served with rice and tea. IX. Perilla Leaf Drink Ingredients: 1. Main ingredient: 3-5 fresh perilla leaves. 2. Seasoning: Sugar. Method: Wash and drain the perilla leaves, place them in a cup, and pour in boiling water. Add sugar to make a refreshing beverage. This drink has the effect of strengthening the stomach and relieving summer heat. Healthy people can drink it in hot weather to enhance appetite, aid digestion, prevent heatstroke, and also guard against colds, chest tightness, and abdominal bloating. X. Perilla Leaf Tangyuan (Glutinous Rice Balls) Ingredients: 1. Main ingredients: 300g perilla seeds, 1000g glutinous rice flour. 2. Seasonings: Sugar, lard. Method: 1. Wash the perilla seeds, drain, and pan-fry until cooked. Let them cool, then grind into a powder. Mix with lard and sugar to make a filling. 2. Mix the glutinous rice flour with boiling water to form a dough. Shape into balls, wrap with the filling to make raw tangyuan. Cook in boiling water until done, then serve. These tangyuan, made from perilla seeds and spleen-strengthening glutinous rice, have the effects of relieving chest tightness, stimulating the appetite, regulating qi, and benefiting the lungs. They are suitable for coughing with excessive phlegm, chest congestion, poor appetite, indigestion, and constipation. Individuals with a weak spleen and tendency to have diarrhea should avoid consuming them.