Here is an easy sauerkraut recipe, that will make you fall in love with lacto-fermentation (vegetable fermentation)!
Sauerkraut is one of the most classic fermentation recipes. It is also often the baptism of the apprentice "fermenter". If the experience seems laborious, repeat until you master it. Most of the other recipes will then be much more accessible.
- Difficulty Level: easy
- Type of fermentation: lactic
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes
- Fermentation time: 21 days
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) white and/or red cabbage
- 4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon caraway
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of inspiring spices*
*You might like to add juniper berries, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, laurel leaves... There are no rules. Explore!
Preparation
- With the mandolin or chef's knife, chop the cabbage (keep 1 outer cabbage leaf) and place in a bowl. Add salt, caraway, pepper and all other inspiring spices.
- Massage the vegetables with your hands for a few minutes, until the cabbage begins to disgorge. Some may find this to be a sensual experience...
- Transfer to a glass jar or a fermentation jar in small quantities, by squeezing the cabbage each time by hand or using a tamper. The liquid produced should submerge the cabbage. If necessary, use a weight.
- Place the whole cabbage leaf on top of the mixture to prevent the minced cabbage from coming in contact with the air. Add a weight on this cabbage leaf as needed.
- Close the jar while allowing the air to exit.
- Let it stand away from direct light for 3 weeks.
- Remove the weight and discard the pieces of cabbage that float on the surface, if any. Taste the sauerkraut, which should be tangy.
Add a generous amount of this delicious sauerkraut to a burger with tempeh, or use as a condiment to almost anything you eat.
It can be stored for up to a year in the refrigerator.
Recipe from the book "Fermentation revolution".