Yamitsuki (Addictive) Cabbage
My 2026 goals are not that exciting. At the top of that list: eat enough fiber daily. Being in your mid-30s is very exciting.
Eating with a daily fiber goal in mind does feel like a good framework for eating healthier overall. Fiber-rich foods are often filling, and usually pretty healthy. And when I’m on track for fiber and water intake, it naturally doesn’t leave much room for craving other foods.
I usually start my day with half a Floura bar and 1 Tbsp chia seed water, a good baseline for a variety of other fruits and vegetables throughout the week. Cabbage is a great source! 100g of cabbage has 2.5g of cabbage, so a cup of shredded cabbage can be 20%+ of my daily goal of 25g. And it keeps forever in the fridge basically.
My usual go-to cabbage dish is probably fish sauce garlic stir fry (no recipe needed, the ingredients are literally that: garlic, fish sauce, a pan). The easiest alternative is shredded or torn cabbage doused in Kewpie sesame dressing. And this yamitsuki cabbage is a nice alternative to throw in the rotation, just to switch things up.
It means “addictive” cabbage. A nice bonus is, the recipe is more of a framework, the salty component can be swapped for different flavbors.
Yamitsuki Cabbage
Grind in a mortal and pestle:
2 small clove garlic
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Tear or cut cabbage leaves into 1.5 inch cubes. Alternatively, thinly shred the cabbage.
In a large prep bowl, add:
400g cabbage
1/2 tsp instant dashi powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fish sauce
sesame/garlic paste from above
2 Tbsp sesame oil
Toss to combine and evenly coat cabbage with seasoning.
Gently massage the cabbage to soften slightly for easier digestion without breaking the cabbage into shreds.
Keep some food service gloves on hand for these kinds of tasks
Serve right away.
Notes
Yes, it really is that simple. And it is more delicious than it has a right to be. The notes are be longer than the recipe itself!
A lot of recipes online will say you can use any umami source instead of instant dashi powder, but I prefer dashi because the granules dissolve and are easy to mix in. A paste like miso or better than bouillon for this volume of cabbage is much harder to spread out and toss evenly. Knorr’s chicken bouillon powder would probably work too.
I recommend dressing only as much as you’ll eat in one meal. Over time, the cabbage will wilt, and the garlic gets very pungent. You can slide or shred and prep an entire head of cabbage at once, and eat throughout the week. If dry and kept in a bowl with paper towels between layers, it will easily last 1+ weeks.
Speaking of garlic, as much as I love doubling and tripling the garlic amount in recipes, including raw applications, I would say this is one where 2 small cloves is more than enough. Also resist the urge to add more seasoning. It is really great.
To toast sesame seeds, I prefer the toaster oven:
Throw a few tablespoons on a quarter sheet, and shake gently to create an even layer
Put it in the oven, cold, and turn it onto ~300F convection
Check on it ~5 minutes after reaching temperature/the timer starts counting down
Pull the tray out earlier than you think, when the seeds are just starting to take on color.
My preferred cabbage for eating raw (or any preparation tbh) is either a flatter sweeter Taiwan cabbage or a savoy. I almost never buy the green cabbage, it’s tough and not as sweet.