Simple Sauerkraut (and kimchi too!)
I'm just loving this stuff at the moment… I have a big spoonful (up to 1/3 cup) pretty much every day, whether it be dolloped on top of my soup, salad, stirfry… basically just dollop it on top of whatever dish you've made. Well with reason... I haven't yet tried it on my bowls of porridge. Though I guess that maybe only a matter of time ;-)
I made my first batch of sauerkraut a few months back, at the same time I also tried making a batch of kimchi. The same sort of principles apply to both, though kimchi is a traditional spicy Korean mix of fermented vegetables and it may have been the spices I used but it just didn't really do it for me taste wise, and since I love the sauerkraut I didn't bother making any more kimchee. I have included both recipes below so see which one suits your taste.
Feel free to use slightly different vegetables depending on what you have to hand. The photo shows a mix of red a white cabbage but you can use which ever types. The kimchi ingredients were more traditional and I had trouble sourcing some of the vegetables and spices but managed to find most of them in the end!
Here's a few pics from my Instagram feed over the last few months...
Recipe: Sauerkraut
Makes 1-2 large jars
Ingredients
- 1 head of cabbage (or a mix of cabbage types)
- 1 tbs sea salt
- 1 tbs caraway seeds (optional)
Method
Slice the cabbage fairly finely and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and massage firmly until the cabbage is soft and limp, add the caraway seeds if using.
Pack the cabbage mix into a large airtight jar pressing down until the brine rises to the surface. Ensure that the cabbage mix remains below the top of the brine and allow to sit for min. 5 days before ready to consume. If any mould forms on the tip surface that isn't a problem, literally skim the leaves off the top and you are good to go.
Recipe: Kimchi
Ingredients
- 1 head Chinese (napa) cabbage- coarsely sliced
- ¼ cup sea salt plus 1 cup warm water
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- 1 carrot- sliced thiny
- 6 spring onions- sliced
- 1 small daikon radish (mooli)
Dressing:
- 1 tbs kelp powder
- 3tbs water
- 1 tbs sugar
- 4 cloves garlic- minced
- 1 tbs fresh ginger- minced
- 1 tbs dried chilli powder (or Korean smoked chilli spice mix blend that I couldn’t find!)
Method
Put the cabbage in a large bowl along with the warm water and salt. Massage with your hands few a few minutes until the cabbage is soft and wilted. Cover and allow to sit for 30-60 minutes.
Meanwhile mix up the ‘dressing’ to form a paste.
Drain the cabbage and rinse well, reserving a little of the brine in case its needed later.
Add the remaining veg to the cabbage bowl anf then pour the dressing over. Mix and squeeze well with hands (gloves are advised) until completely covered and softening. Pack into a large airtight jar pressing down until the brine rises to the surface. Ensure that the cabbage mix remains below the top of the brine and allow to sit for 3-5 days before ready to consume (taste test after 3 days).
Best stored in the fridge thereafter.
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