The Umami Japanese-Style Cabbage That Will Keep You Coming Back For More

Where would we be without veggies in our lives? Apart from the obvious nutritional benefits, they also give us infinite options to add flavor, personality, and variety to our meals. But while some veggie dishes just fill the role, others, like yamitsuki cabbage, steal the show.

This cabbage dish actually goes by a few different names — shio kyabetsu and izakaya-style cabbage. Shio kyabetsu translates to salt cabbage (which doesn't sound that exciting) and izakaya-style cabbage refers to the Japanese bars that serve small dishes like yamitsuki cabbage. Neither of these names quite do this dish justice, however, so we'll defer to the more common name of yamitsuki, which translates to addictive cabbage, a name that really hits the nail on the head.

The dish consists of chopped cabbage mixed with an easy-to-make seasoning paste. That's it — no fancy cooking techniques, just delicious ingredients. The cabbage is chopped into bite-sized morsels, and the paste typically includes garlic, toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt, and bouillon powder (chicken will work but a vegetable bouillon like mushroom will keep the dish plant-based and tie in with the veggie theme). It's this combination of seasonings that create the umami blast that makes this Japanese-style cabbage a craveable delight you can't forget.  

Some recipes also include ingredients like pepper, sake, rice vinegar, and a dash of MSG, and you can also switch out the salt for soy sauce or miso paste for more of a kick. Mash the seasonings together into a paste (you can use an old-school, thrifted mortar and pestle, a plastic bag with a rolling pin, or simply some elbow grease with a bowl and a fork). Once you've got a paste, rub it into your cabbage and enjoy! 

Umami and veggies actually go hand in hand, and the umami flavors of yamitsuki cabbage are no exception. The natural mildness of many vegetables makes them very receptive to strong savory flavors, like the powerful combination of otherwise simple ingredients in yamitsuki cabbage. And the fact that this dish doesn't require any cooking means you get the crispy freshness of cabbage in every bite. The combination is robust, irresistible, and downright delicious.

The abundance of cabbage options available is an added bonus. There are plenty of cabbage types that cooks can work with, and they all have their own ideal uses. When it comes to making yamitsuki cabbage, any type actually works, since the dish's power lies in the umami seasonings you add. You may want to stay away from napa cabbage, however — although its lacy appearance is very pretty, it leans toward a bitterness that will detract from the power of the umami flavor profile you have built.

When it comes to building a meal around your yamitsuki cabbage, you've got plenty of choices. You can add it to tacos for a Mexican-Japanese fusion meal, serve it alongside a grilled steak or pork chop to add nuance to the plate, or eat it alongside a bowl of rice for a simple meal. If you want to go the traditional route, you can simply serve it izakaya-style alongside cocktails with good friends.