Vibrant Red Kraut
There are so many ways to make sauerkraut.
I have a lot of fun trying different flavors and combinations.
I have recently made a garlic dill kraut, a kale and cabbage kraut and a red cabbage kraut.
The garlic dill sauerkraut is delicious and there lots of decent recipes to be found on the web.
I experimented with half cabbage and half kale, and quite frankly, it did not come out well.
The kale did not hold up well and was bitter and funky. Not to be repeated.
I also created a new flavor by adding ginger turmeric and garlic to a carrot and red cabbage kraut.
This is recipe I am sharing. It tastes amazing. There is a bit of sweet from the carrots for the backdrop a burst of mildly spicy and vibrant flavor. And I especially like the extra immune boost from the ginger, turmeric and garlic.
Leaving the carrot and cabbage ratio the same as recipe, you could vary the amounts of the other 3 to suit your taste. Use more ginger and less of other 2 or use more garlic, etc.
If you have never made sauerkraut before please read the post for Basic Homemade Sauerkraut for tips and techniques.
And yes the red cabbage and the turmeric will temporarily stain your hands. No worries. It will be gone very soon.
Vibrant Red Kraut
prep time 20 minutes
Ferment time 1 to 3 weeks
makes 1 quart
Ingredients:
1 medium red cabbage
2 carrots
1 piece of ginger
1 piece of fresh turmeric
3 to 5 cloves garlic
2 tsp. sea salt or a little more
Directions:
Remove tough outer leaves of cabbage and wash cabbage. Save a nice outer leaf for hat for the kraut.
Cut cabbage in quarters and cut out the core in each. You can cut the cabbage or shred it in a food processor with the slice blade.(Thin or thick.) It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact an uneven cut is really pretty in this.
Place in a large bowl.
Wash remaining vegetables and peel.
The carrots you can cut, or grate by hand or machine.
This batch I cut the carrots into wide, thin matchsticks.
The ginger, turmeric and garlic cut into tiny matchsticks.
Add all ingredients into the bowl with sea salt. Mix the salt in and then massage it into the vegetables until they are wet and drippy.
Press into a quart size canning jar so the liquid is over the cabbage mixture. Cut the cabbage leaf to fit over the cabbage and wash. Place cabbage leaf on and gently press down so liquid comes over the leaf.
Add a little weight if you need it.
Cover the jar with a small piece of cloth and secure. Set in a quiet spot ,on a plate or tray, away from household traffic and sunlight.
Check every few days. If it bubbles up over the rim of the of the jar, clean with a damp towel and replace the cover and plate as needed.
Taste after 1 week. If it’s not fermented enough then let it go longer until you get the flavor you want.
When ready, remove covering and clean the rim and outside of jar. Put a lid on the jar and refrigerate.
Enjoy!
