Kyabetsu to egoma no namuru / namul salad with cabbage and wild sesame leaves

The soft taste of cabbage is paired with the distinctive flavor of egoma wild sesame leaves. These two also complement each other in terms of aroma and color.

1/4 of recipe:
10 calories; 0.5 g protein; 0.1 g fat; 2.2 g carbohydrate; 1.4 g net carbs; 36 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0.8 g fiber


<Ingredients>

(Serves 3-4)

3 cabbage leaves (130 g in photo)
3-5 egoma wild sesame leaves (5 small leaves; 2 g in photo)
1 small clove garlic (only 1/8-1/4 tsp of grated garlic is needed)
1/2 tsp shoyukoji soy sauce rice malt
1/3 tsp sesame oil

<Directions>
1.

Cut cabbage lengthwise into 4-5 cm wide section, then cut crosswise into thin strips (5-10 mm; cut thick white sections skinnier).
Grate garlic.

2.

Dip cabbage in water and place it (without shaking off water) in a microwaveable container.

Cover, and microwave for 90 seconds,

Remove from microwave, mix, return and microwave (covered) for another 30 seconds.
 

3.

Transfer cabbage (leave liquid behind) to a prep bowl, add sesame oil, and mix well.

Add shoyukoji and garlic, mix well, and let cool.

4.

Slice egoma into 5mm wide strips, and add to cabbage.

Mix well. 

<Notes>

• Cooling cabbage is done in order to retain the bright green of egoma leaves. If the color of egoma is not a concern, you can add egoma to cabbage while it is still hot.
• If shoyukoji is not available, use soy sauce. Regular soy sauce would increase the sodium content above by 30-140 mg for the whole recipe.
  
• The flavoring here is on the weak end, as I mainly make this as part of bibimbap mixed rice served with sauce (photo at right: with carrot, moyashi bean sprouts, eringi & shiitake mushrooms, egg, chicken and egoma flowers). 
• Whole recipe: 39 calories; 2.1 g protein; 0.3 g fat; 8.6 g carbohydrate; 6.2 g net carbs; 143 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 2.4 g fiber