Grilled Cabbage Steaks With Furikake Recipe

While cabbage steaks may not be meaty, they are nevertheless an intriguing alternative to turning this most budget-friendly of vegetables into coleslaw or sauteing it with noodles. This grilled cabbage recipe, which developer Chanel Murphy tells us is "a great side dish that is easy to make," is something that would easily complement a Japanese-style meal such as teriyaki chicken or pork katsu.

Furikake, which is a Japanese seasoning blend made from dried fish, seaweed, and sesame seeds, is something that Murphy says, "adds a unique umami and seaweed-inspired flavor profile to the grilled cabbage." Of the recipe overall, she adds, "The flavors from the char on the cabbage, furikake, and green onion are delicious and add great texture."

Even if you are not inclined to eat an entire head of cabbage in a single meal, you might want to go ahead and prepare the recipe anyway. After all, the leftover cabbage can always be re-purposed in a stir-fry or used to fill homemade dumplings or egg rolls.

Cabbage, of course, is the main ingredient in this recipe. As the name indicates, you will also need furikake seasoning, which can be found at your local Asian market. Salt and pepper, are required as well, along with some cooking oil. As a final touch, chopped green onions make for a nice garnish.

"Red cabbage is interchangeable in this recipe even though it has a slightly stronger taste," says Murphy. Both types of cabbage end up cooking and tasting the same in the end.

Take your cabbage and cut it into slices about an inch thick — Murphy got 4 of these from a single head. Try your best to see that the core of each slice holds together, since if it falls apart, the cabbage will lose its steak-like shape.

Once you've cut the cabbage, pour the oil over each slice. "Ensure that both sides of the cabbage steaks are evenly coated with oil," says Murphy, explaining that this will help prevent them from sticking to the grill. Follow up the oil with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Heat up a grill pan over medium-high, then cook the steaks for about 6 minutes on each side (12 minutes in all). You want the edges to char a bit and the oil will help with this, too. The cooked cabbage should be pretty tender, as well.

When the cabbage steaks have finished cooking, take them off the grill. Sprinkle each one with as much (or as little) furikake as you like, then scatter green onions over the top to make it look pretty.

Any leftover cabbage should be refrigerated and it's best to do so in an airtight container so that the odor doesn't permeate the entire refrigerator. Murphy notes that even when refrigerated, the cabbage will only last for 3 days max, so it's best to plan to use it up before then. If you can't manage to do so, you could always freeze it, or else just grill half the head of cabbage to make a smaller amount.