Red Shiso Juice (with Organic Rice Vinegar and Black Sugar)
Shiso is perilla leaves used in many Japanese foods, such as umeboshi, cold noodle dishes, and cold tofu. The red shiso or red perilla leaves can also be made to healthy, fresh, and tasty juice. Not too acidic, not too sweet, mellow flavoured healthy juice.
Cut the stem of the shiso and take only the leaves, wash them repeatedly with clean water and then drain the water.
Put approx. 1.5 L of water in a pot made from other than aluminum, then boil the water.
Add 1 cup of organic rice vinegar in the pot, then add red shiso, and boil them for about 5 minutes.
Take the red shiso leaves. Put it in a strainer, then squeeze it with chopsticks, ladle, etc., but do not touch with hand.
Add a cup of black sugar in the pot and reboil it, skim off the scum (froth or foam that floats on the surface of liquid) if there are any.
If you see the heat (steam-like air) coming, take the bottle to store the juice.
Disinfect the bottle by spreading a small amount of rice vinegar to the inner lid and spout.
When it cools down, keep it refrigerated.
You can drink it immediately as it is. But if the concentration is too thick for you, you can add water and ice.
Notes
Because this is using vinegar, do not use aluminum pot. Since vinegar is added in from the beginning, the red colour will remain beautifully even if the shiso leaves are taken from the water.
Because of if you use ordinary vinegar or citric acid, and white sugar, the juice won't turn out nicely, please use organic rice vinegar and black sugar.