Name: Foil Baked Cabbage With Salt Koji
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: ½ small to medium cabbage, sliced in half; 2 tablespoon salt koji; 2 tablespoons olive oil; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

Learn how to make foil baked cabbage that’s tender and full of sweet and savory goodness. Using salt koji is the easiest way to enhance the natural taste of cabbage and give it extra depth of flavor.

Baking cabbage in foil is so delicious. It keeps the leaves moist and tender and gives them just enough of a char to add a delicate smoky taste. And when you go one step further and brush a layer of salt koji, the cabbage turns into a flavor bomb rich in umami, saltiness, and nuttiness similar to miso.

Only 5 ingredients are needed to make this recipe. Plus, you won’t spend longer than 10 minutes in the kitchen to put it together. As for the baking part? Just like these foil baked enoki mushrooms, the cabbage doesn’t require much attention.

What is Salt Koji?
Foil Baked Cabbage Ingredients
How To Make Foil Baked Cabbage
Recipe Tips
Storing and Reheating Baked Cabbage
What To Serve With Foil Baked Cabbage

What is Salt Koji?

Salt koji, called shio koji (塩糀) in Japanese, is a traditional Japanese seasoning made from rice koji (rice that has been inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae, which is a type of fungus), salt, and water. It’s used as a pickling ingredient for vegetables, as a marinade and a tenderizer for meats and seafood, and as a flavor booster to soups, stews, and other simmered foods.

The texture of salt koji is lumpy like broken rice grains and has a flavor that’s hard to describe. It’s rich in umami, has the subtle sweetness of sake, and the earthiness and nuttiness of miso paste.

Foil Baked Cabbage Ingredients

Cabbage: Half of a green cabbage about 12 to 14 ounces in weight. While you can use other types of cabbage, I find that green cabbage gives the best result because of its texture.
Salt koji: Salt koji not only enhances the natural taste of cabbage, it also fills it with umami, saltiness, and nuttiness.
Olive oil: A good olive with some spiciness or fruitiness for extra depth of flavor.
Garlic powder: I like to add a little garlic powder to make the dish a little pungent.
Dried oregano: Dried oregano is herbaceous and adds a nice fragrant element.

How To Make Foil Baked Cabbage

Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.

Slice the cabbage and set the oven temperature. Slice the cabbage in half, lengthwise, and set the oven to 380ºF.
Add the cabbage to the foil and make a purse. Place a piece of foil over a baking tray. Place the cabbage in the center of the foil, brush it with the olive oil and salt koji mixture, and top with garlic powder and dried oregano. Grab each end of the foil and bring them to meet right above the cabbage. Fold along the edges to create a “purse”. Fold the bottom ends well to prevent the salt koji mixture from leaking.
Bake the cabbage. Bake the cabbage until it’s very tender and slightly charred. Serve.

Recipe Tips

Brush the cabbage well. Take your time brushing the cabbage with the salt koji mixture. I even like to brush between the leaves to get maximum flavor!
Use two layers of foil if the foil you are using is thin. To prevent the foil from ripping during the baking process (as you move the cabbage to and from the baking tray), use two layers if needed.
Bake the cabbage until it’s very tender. Crunchy cabbage is delicious in salads and stir fries but not with this recipe. I was able to achieve a very tender texture after about 35 minutes of baking my cabbage. However, if yours is still crunchy, leave it to bake until the leaves are tender enough for a knife to easily slice through them.

Storing and Reheating Baked Cabbage

This baked cabbage can be stored in its foil, refrigerated for up to 3 days. Or, transferred to a storage container and refrigerated for the same amount of time.

To reheat:

Microwave: Take the cabbage out of the foil and place it on a plate or a microwave safe container. Microwave for 1-2 minutes on high.
Skillet: Take the cabbage out of the foil and put it in a skillet. Turn the heat to medium and cook until it’s hot. To get more char on the leaves, turn the heat to high once the cabbage is hot, and cook for a couple of minutes.

What To Serve With Foil Baked Cabbage

There are so many things that can be served with this foil baked cabbage! Whether it’s a hearty holiday meal or a simple family dinner, this bake cabbage always makes a great side dish.

Pairing suggestions

Other delicious vegetable sides you might like to try: Chinese eggplant with sesame sauce, pan roasted carrots, kabocha squash in dashi, miso roasted daikon, steamed Korean eggplant, air fryer green beans.

Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!