Name: Japanese coleslaw – Kyabetsu no Sarada
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 300 g Chinese cabbage (or white cabbage or pointed cabbage); 1 small cucumber; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp Mirin; 1 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 1 tsp sesame seeds (toasted)

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Do you know the perfect salad side dish to go with any Japanese meal? A refreshing Japanese coleslaw is seasoned with a dressing of sesame oil, soy sauce and Mirin, and takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. It goes wonderfully well with deep-fried or pan-fried main courses such as Tempura or tonkatsu. Cooking authentic Japanese food is really easy today!

Japanese cabbage salad is a very common dish in Japanese cuisine. It is very simple to make and tastes extremely refreshing and somehow cleansing.

Making your own cabbage salad is one of the easiest ways to cook Japanese food. It’s quick and easy to prepare and tastes absolutely delicious as a raw vegetable side dish topped with a toasted sesame seed topping!

The preparation couldn’t be simpler: first, weigh out the Chinese cabbage (or alternatively white cabbage or pointed cabbage) – about 300 g of cabbage is enough for 4 portions.

Tip: You’re welcome to use the rest of the cabbage head to make Okonomiyaki or tan-men; or, of course, the other way round.

Cut the weighed cabbage into fine strips using a large, sharp knife. Then place it in a large bowl. Because now comes the insider tip that makes all the difference!

Simply serving raw white cabbage as a side dish is not uncommon in Japan, but a cabbage salad can be so much more. That’s why we massage the sliced cabbage really vigorously with the palms of our hands to make it supple. This improves its flavour and texture – a real insider tip, isn’t it?

Add finely chopped cucumber and a delicious dressing made from sesame oil, soy sauce, Mirin and rice vinegar. The finishing touch is toasted sesame seeds. Mix everything together well and fold in. Done!

The Japanese coleslaw can be served as a side dish in small salad bowls or directly on the plate with the main course. The result tastes fantastic and is quick and easy to prepare at home. I wish you every success and hope you enjoy cooking – if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to use the comments section below the recipe 😊. Let’s get started:

Japanese coleslaw

serves 4 | 10 minutes | 75 kcal

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Do you know the perfect salad side dish to go with any Japanese meal? A refreshing Japanese coleslaw is seasoned with a dressing of sesame oil, soy sauce and Mirin and takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. It goes wonderfully well with deep-fried or pan-fried main courses such as Tempura or tonkatsu. Cooking authentic Japanese food is really easy today!

Ingredients (serves 4)

300 g Chinese cabbage (or white cabbage or pointed cabbage)
1 small cucumber
1 tbsp Shoyu (im Shop ansehen)*
1 tbsp Mirin (im Shop ansehen)*
1 tbsp rice vinegar (im Shop ansehen)*
1 tbsp sesame oil (im Shop ansehen)*
1 tsp sesame seeds (toasted) (im Shop ansehen)*

* Add ingredients to basket 🪄

Preparation (10 minutes)

Step 1

Get the ingredients for the Japanese coleslaw ready.

Step 2

Wash the cabbage and cut off about 300 g of it (Tip: The remaining cabbage can be used to make Okonomiyaki </ a>or Tan-Men).
Now cut the weighed cabbage into fine strips using a large, sharp knife.

Japanese coleslaw Passaggio 3: Massaging the cabbage

Step 3

Place the sliced cabbage in a bowl. Then massage vigorously with the palms of your hands until the cabbage becomes tender. This enhances its flavour and texture – a real insider tip! It doesn’t take long, about 2 minutes.

Passaggio 4

Next, wash the cucumber , cut it in half and slice it into thin half-moons, leaving the skin on. Add this to the bowl as well and fold in.

Passaggio 5

Now, in a small bowl, mix together the soya sauce, Mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil and toasted sesame for the dressing.

Step 6

Add the dressing to the cabbage and cucumbers and fold in well.
The Japanese coleslaw is now ready and can be served as a side dish in small salad bowls or directly on the plate with the main course. Done – Itadakimasu!

Are you looking for even more wonderful recipes for Japanese side dishes? Here are a few ideas: