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Featured Comment:
“I’ve made this recipe for cabbage several times and on my oh my, this is so delicious and frankly I could eat this every day!! Fantastic recipes. I really enjoy your video instructions.”
– Jen
What is Izakaya Style Salted Cabbage (Yamitsuki/addictive Shio Cabbage)?
As the name suggests, Japanese salted cabbage is a simple side dish made with raw cabbage that has been sprinkled with salt and other seasonings. Despite its simplicity, it’s truly a delicious and addictive dish.
Known as “yamitsuki” (やみつき) or “addictive” cabbage in Japanese, these salted cabbage side dishes are often served in izakaya (Japanese pubs) or yakiniku (Korean BBQ) restaurants, where people often gather to drink and eat.
This type of dish is sometimes called shio kyabetsu (salt cabbage), depending on the restaurant.
The cabbage has a fresh and crunchy texture while the seasonings add umami, yamitsuki cabbage is seriously addictive and some places even offer a free refill service. I always end up ordering refills without fail. I absolutely love this dish!
This recipe is my version of an izakaya-style “Addictive” salty cabbage. It’s a 5-minute dish which is very cheap and easy to make; I highly recommend it!
How I Developed This Recipe
If you’ve ever visited an Izakaya or a Yakiniku restaurant in Japan, you might be familiar with “Yamitsuki Cabbage.” It’s not just plain cabbage; it’s incredibly flavorful and often becomes addictive. Inspired by this, I decided to create my own version of “addictive” cabbage.
After some experimentation, I crafted a recipe that captures that same addictive quality you find in restaurants. The best part? It only takes about 5 minutes to prepare. This cabbage recipe is simple yet packed with flavor, making it a perfect quick side dish for a variety of meals.
It’s an easy way to bring a bit of Izakaya charm to your dining table, and you might just find yourself hooked on its delightful taste!
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Sesame Seeds: White sesame seeds enhance flavor with their nutty taste.
- Chinese-Style Chicken Bouillon Powder: I use Youki’s additive-free Garasupu as a soup base.
- Salt & Pepper: Use your usual varieties.
- Garlic Paste: Finely grated garlic can be a convenient alternative.
- Green Cabbage: Cabbage types can differ based on where you live, but for this no-cook dish, I recommend using soft, green cabbage that is suitable to use raw instead of white, red, or napa cabbage. Spring or sweetheart cabbage are good substitutes.
- Chili Threads: Optional but recommended for improving color.
Japanese people are known for their love for salty food, but it’s easy to adjust the quantities to suit your taste. Feel free to reduce the salt and chicken stock if it’s too salty for you.
We all have unique taste buds, which makes yamitsuki cabbage so awesome! Its simple base lets you mix and match ingredients and seasonings to create your perfect dish.
Here are some popular add-ins you might find at Japanese izakayas or even in home kitchens:
- Shio kombu (A Japanese ingredient made from dried seaweed cooked with salt. It is rich in flavor and gives food a deep taste.): for extra complex umami for your cabbage.
- Soy sauce: Be careful not to add too much; a dash would be enough.
- Ground white pepper: instead of black pepper for a stronger peppery taste.
- Rice vinegar: Again, be careful not to add too much because it might overpower the dish. A dash would be enough.
- Sugar: A pinch to add a tiny bit of sweetness.
- Tobanjan: Add a very small amount for spiciness.
- Kombucha powder: Add a small amount for an extra umami bomb.
Remember, don’t add all the ingredients at once. Instead, add a little at a time and taste as you go to avoid making your dish too salty or in case some particular flavor becomes too strong. I recommend starting with the basic recipe on the recipe card below if you use this recipe for the first time!
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Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsIf you want to make this dish suitable for vegetarians and vegans, you can simply substitute the chicken bouillon powder for vegetable stock powder or a little extra salt.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Izakaya-style Addictive Cabbage at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Mix the sesame oil, sesame seeds, chicken bouillon powder, salt, garlic paste, and black pepper in a bowl. This step is a little different from my original video, but I find by mixing all the condiments beforehand, the flavors are more evenly distributed throughout the dish.
Roughly cut the cabbage and add it to the bowl. Mix everything together by hand. This will ensure all the cabbage pieces are evenly covered.
If you have any cuts on your hands, make sure they’re covered or wear gloves alternatively.
Transfer to a serving dish.
I like to decorate the top with chili threads for a pop of color and spicy kick, but this is optional!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsFAQ
We say “yamitsuki cabbage,” but first, let me elaborate on what “yamitsuki” means in Japanese.
“Yamitsuki (やみつき)” is a Japanese term for being so drawn to something that you can’t help but enjoy it over and over. It’s often used for food, drinks, hobbies, or habits that people find satisfying and fun.
For example, if someone can’t stop eating a snack once they start, they’re “addicted (yamitsuki)” to it. They love its taste and texture so much that they just want to keep eating.
What makes something “yamitsuki” varies for each person, but they all share the ability to bring joy and satisfaction, making people want to enjoy them over and over again.
I mentioned that this yamitsuki cabbage is typically an izakaya dish, but you might be wondering exactly what an “izakaya” is. Izakaya is a traditional Japanese casual eatery that serves a wide variety of Japanese cuisine (tapas style), drinks, and alcoholic beverages, making them great spots to hang out with friends or unwind after work. You can think of them as Japanese tapas bars or pubs.
Many alcoholic beverages are served in izakaya, but Japanese drinks such as sake, shochu, and beer are especially popular. The menu is packed with tasty choices like sashimi, sushi, yakitori, tempura, salads, stir-fries, fried foods…and so on! Since dishes are tapas-style, it’s common to share with everyone and try new flavors together.
Izakayas have a lively, welcoming vibe, with cozy lighting and wooden furniture, in contrast to dimly lit bars. They’re usually budget-friendly and might even offer all-you-can-eat (tabehodai) or all-you-can-drink (nomihodai) deals where you can order as much as you like within a time limit. So, if you want to enjoy Japanese food culture in a relaxed setting, izakayas are perfect!
If you’re interested in more Izakaya-style dishes, check out my post: 25 Izakaya Style “Otsumami” Recipes to make at home!
What’s your favorite beer snack? Chips? Fries? Nuts? Cheese?…the list goes on. But how about drinking beer with vegetables?
It might seem unusual, but in Japan, many vegetable dishes are considered “beer snacks.” Here are a few popular choices to enjoy with a drink:
Cucumber Pickles
Potato Salad
Edamame
Yamitsuki Cabbage
Sure, the majority of food on the table would be meat and fish, but there’s always one or two in your group saying “Shouldn’t we get some veg?” or “How about something refreshing?”. It’s good to have a balance after all!
I hope you enjoy this Addictive Cabbage 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 Japanese Side Recipes
- Beef Shigureni (Simmered Wagyu with Ginger and Gobo)
- Japanese Hijiki Seaweed Salad (Hijiki no Nimono)
- Dashimaki Tamago (Japanese Rolled Omelette with Dashi)
- Simmered Kiriboshi Daikon Radish
- Japanese Simmered Pumpkin (Kabocha no Nimono)
Want more inspiration? Explore my Side Dish Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Addictive Izakaya Style Salted Cabbage (Yamitsuki Cabbage)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Take a large mixing bowl and add 1 ½ tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, ½ tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp garlic paste and ¼ tsp ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Wash 100 g green cabbage and cut it into rough pieces. Add the cabbage to the bowl and rub the seasoning over the leaves, making sure it's evenly distributed. (Wear gloves if you have sensitive skin or any cuts on your hands.)
- Transfer to a serving dish and top with chili threads (optional).
- Enjoy as a side or snack!
Chanel
This is a great recipe. It’s a wonderful umami bomb. Thanks for sharing!
Yuto Omura
Thank you for the lovely comment! 🙂
Mandy
I just made this and I love it!! I added a pinch of Szechuan pepper powder too and it’s really yummy!
Yuto Omura
Thank you for the lovely comment! Oh yes! Szechuan pepper would make a great kick! 🙂 Such a good idea!
Katlynn Joe
Love the recipe i miss eating this a
When i was in japan
Yuto Omura
Thank you for the lovely comment! I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
Stefani kawabata
This looks amazing! I am definitely going to try this. Would it work with Napa cabbage too?
Yuto Omura
Thank you for the comment! As long as you don’t mind raw Napa cabbage in my opinion! 🙂
Jen
I’ve made this recipe for cabbage several times and on my oh my, this is so delicious and frankly I could eat this every day!! Fantastic recipes. I really enjoy your video instructions.
Yuto Omura
Hi Jen,
Thank you for your kind words and five star rating.
I’m so happy you like my recipes and videos, it really means a lot 🙂
Morgan
Just made this today! It was fantastic. I didn’t know how I’d like it, with it being uncooked but I will be adding this to my recipe book!
Yuto Omura
Thank you for trying the recipe and giving such a generous rating, I’m so glad you liked it!
Judy Rudolph
This recipe rocks! My husband & I LOVE it. I even had it for breakfast.
Yuto Omura
Thank you so much Judy! Glad you liked it!
Mike
I love to cook. Love to. And I’m pretty damn good at it. I made this as part of an 8 course meal and my girlfriend said she thought it was potentially the best thing I’d ever made. Which is a huge compliment to this recipe, even if I felt a tiny bit insulted…
Yuto Omura
That is a huge compliment, thank you so much!
Hungry
Correction: Recipe doesn’t scale teaspoon measurements using the buttons. The problem might be the Unicode “½” tsp instead of typed-out “1/2” tsp? Except the cup-equivalent measures for cabbage *do* scale properly.
This is so tasty! We love this recipe! We used vegetarian bouillon paste, which worked out just fine.
Yuto Omura
Hi! Thank you for pointing that out, much appreciated. I’ve fixed the problem so it should work now!
I’m happy to hear you like the recipe! I haven’t tried with vegetarian bouillon paste myself, but glad to hear it works. Thank you for sharing!
Jan Masaoka
This is a terrific recipe. I quadrupled the amount of cabbage but only tripled the other ingredients and it came out great. It’s rare I find a new recipe with flavors that are so new to me and so delicious it immediately became a go-to recipe.
Yuto Omura
Thank you so much for your kind words! It made my day! 🙂
Tiffanie
Simple and easy recipe! I added a little bit of grated ginger. I think this would taste great with some shredded chicken as well, if you wanted to make it less side dish and more a main salad type. Thank you for the recipe!
Yuto Omura
Hi Tiffanie,
Thank you for the comment and feedback! That is a great idea!
Yuto