This Japanese Method Makes Cabbage 10x Better (You'll Never Want It Any Other Way)

A fresh, crisp, tangy cabbage slaw is the perfect side dish for almost any meat or fish meal. It's also a great add-in for tacos and sandwiches. If you love experimenting with different slaw recipes, you'll definitely want to try the Japanese method for making cabbage salad. Called yamitsuki cabbage, this recipe adds some serious flavor and oomph to a typically humble vegetable.

Yamitsuki cabbage, also known as Izakaya-style cabbage, is a simple recipe that brings out the best in crisp, fresh cabbage. "Yamitsuki" means addictive in Japanese, and the recipe has been passed down through generations of family members in Japan for hundreds of years. What sets this four-ingredient cabbage dish apart is its intensely flavorful dressing, which has the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and umami flavors.

At its simplest, the dressing includes sesame oil, pepper, and garlic. It is added to raw, chopped cabbage that has been massaged with salt. However, you'll quickly find that different recipe creators put their own unique spin on the dish, and you can too. Some add rice wine, sesame seeds, brown sugar, soy sauce, white miso, and even mushroom bouillon powder. The ingredients you choose will elevate the cabbage from a simple, watery vegetable to one that is packed with savory flavors.

To make it, just wash your cabbage and gently pat it dry with a paper towel. Then shred it by hand or rough-chop it and sprinkle it liberally with salt. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to a bowl and mix them briskly with a whisk, or for a true Japanese-style slaw, grind the ingredients together using a mortar and pestle, then toss the chopped greens with the sauce.

The best type of cabbage for this dish is fresh flathead cabbage or green cabbage, but you can use any crisp salad green you have on hand. You can then play around with this deceptively simple recipe to your heart's content. Start by choosing ingredients that complement the other dishes you're serving.

For instance, it makes the perfect fish taco slaw. Use red, purple, and green cabbage and add a few drops of hot sauce and lime juice to create an elevated topping for fish tacos and give them a burst of fresh, vibrant crunchiness. This cabbage dish is also the perfect side dish to complement any Japanese or Asian recipe. It pairs well with a bowl of hot, salty miso soup, whether you want to drop a few spoonfuls in the broth or enjoy it on the side. 

You can add it to your Banh Mi sandwich or use it as a topping for your favorite Asian-inspired sandwich recipe. It is a nice addition to vegan and vegetarian recipes as well. We recommend adding it to a brown rice veggie bowl to upgrade both the texture and the flavor. You can also mix it into your favorite ramen recipe or any other noodle dish.