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 been to an izakaya or a yakiniku restaurant in Japan, you might know what “yamitsuki cabbage” is. It’s not just plain cabbage; it’s got a really great flavor and often becomes addictive. I was inspired by this and decided to create my own version of “addictive” cabbage.
After some trial and error, I came up with a recipe that has that same addictive quality you find in restaurants. And the best part is… It only takes about five minutes to prepare.
It’s a simple way to bring a touch of izakaya charm to your dining table!
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Sesame Seeds: White sesame seeds enhance flavor with their nutty taste.
- Chinese-Style Chicken Bouillon Powder: You can use other type of bouillon powder too.
- Salt & Pepper: You can just use your usual.
- Garlic Paste: Finely grated garlic can be a convenient alternative.
- Green Cabbage: Cabbage types can vary depending on where you live, but for this no-cook dish, I suggest using soft green cabbage that can be used raw instead of white, red, or Napa cabbage. You could use spring or sweetheart cabbage as well.
- 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
- Soy sauce
- Ground white pepper
- Rice vinegar
- Sugar
- Tobanjan (chili bean paste)
- Kombucha powder
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!
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 Measurements
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 toasted sesame oil, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, ½ tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder (granules), 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!
This is a great recipe. It’s a wonderful umami bomb. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the lovely comment! 🙂
I just made this and I love it!! I added a pinch of Szechuan pepper powder too and it’s really yummy!
Thank you for the lovely comment! Oh yes! Szechuan pepper would make a great kick! 🙂 Such a good idea!
Love the recipe i miss eating this a
When i was in japan
Thank you for the lovely comment! I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
This looks amazing! I am definitely going to try this. Would it work with Napa cabbage too?
Thank you for the comment! As long as you don’t mind raw Napa cabbage in my opinion! 🙂
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.
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 🙂
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!
Thank you for trying the recipe and giving such a generous rating, I’m so glad you liked it!
This recipe rocks! My husband & I LOVE it. I even had it for breakfast.
Thank you so much Judy! Glad you liked it!
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…
That is a huge compliment, thank you so much!
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.
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!
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.
Thank you so much for your kind words! It made my day! 🙂
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!
Hi Tiffanie,
Thank you for the comment and feedback! That is a great idea!
Yuto
Is this using toasted or untoasted sesame oil?
Hi Ben,
Thank you for your question! It’s toasted sesame oil. I will update the post to make it clearer.
Yuto