A crisp chopped salad of cabbage, cucumber, and fresh herbs tossed in a nutty sesame-soy dressing, inspired by countryside market-stall sides.
Japanese home cooking includes a wide range of simple chopped and shredded vegetable salads (known broadly as sarada) served as a cooling counterpoint to rich grilled or fried mains, often built from whatever's freshest at the local market that week. This version combines finely shredded cabbage and cucumber with torn shiso and mitsuba, two herbs common at Japanese greengrocers but rarely used outside Japan, tossed in a roasted sesame dressing (goma dressing) that's a fixture on nearly every Japanese salad bar. The technique is about texture and timing: vegetables are cut thin and uniform so every bite has crunch, and the dressing is added just before serving so the salt in the soy sauce doesn't wilt the cabbage and cucumber into a watery mess. Toasting whole sesame seeds and grinding half of them releases much more aroma than using pre-ground tahini or store-bought dressing. Served alongside grilled fish, karaage, or a bowl of rice, this salad plays the same role countryside market stalls give their simple vegetable sides -- fresh, palate-cleansing, and quick to put together from a handful of everyday ingredients.
Serves 4
Toss shredded cabbage with 0.5 tsp salt and let sit 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess liquid gently -- this keeps the salad crisp instead of watery.
Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Cool slightly.
Grind half the toasted sesame seeds coarsely with a mortar or spice grinder. Whisk with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar until combined.
In a large bowl, combine the salted cabbage, cucumber, carrot, shiso, and mitsuba.
Pour the dressing over just before serving and toss well. Scatter remaining whole sesame seeds on top and serve immediately.
Salting and squeezing the cabbage first is the single biggest step for keeping this salad crisp rather than watery after a few minutes.
Toast the sesame seeds yourself rather than using pre-toasted -- the aroma fades quickly, so fresh-toasted makes a real difference.
Dress only right before serving; dressed cabbage salads wilt within 15-20 minutes.
Add thin strips of cooked chicken or tofu to turn this into a light main course.
Swap shiso for a mix of mint and basil if shiso isn't available -- the flavor profile shifts but stays fresh and herbal.
Use ponzu instead of soy-vinegar-oil dressing for a citrusy variation.
Best eaten fresh within 30 minutes of dressing. Store undressed vegetables and dressing separately in the fridge up to 2 days, combining just before serving.
Shredded cabbage salads with sesame or miso-based dressings are common across Japanese home cooking and izakaya menus, often served as a free or low-cost starter alongside grilled and fried dishes. Shiso and mitsuba, both native to Japan, have been cultivated and used in Japanese cooking for centuries as cooling, aromatic counterpoints to richer foods.
A mix of fresh mint, basil, and cilantro approximates the herbal brightness, though the exact flavor of shiso -- somewhere between basil and mint with a citrusy edge -- is hard to replace exactly.
Cabbage and cucumber release water once salted and dressed -- salting and squeezing the cabbage beforehand, and dressing right before serving, both help minimize this.
Yes, the sesame dressing keeps refrigerated in a sealed jar up to a week -- just shake well before using since the sesame oil separates.
Per serving (150g / 5.3 oz) · 4 servings total
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