Sauerkraut is one of the most famous, affordable and healthy products in the world, which you can make from two ingredients - the cabbage itself and salt. This is what the simplest, classic sauerkraut recipe requires. The controlled fermentation process allows the use of "good" microorganisms, mainly lactobacilli (similar to those used for the production of cheese and yogurt), allowing them to multiply, dominate the "bad" bacteria and thus preserve food.
Studies have shown that probiotic food is good for health, and it allows you to maintain almost all functions in the body, from digesting other foods to improving mood.
What does a classic sauerkraut recipe look like?
To make sauerkraut, you should finely chop its red or white leaves, generously season with salt, and then mix well. Stir the cabbage by rubbing salt into it until the juices begin to stand out actively. Try and add seasoning if necessary. After that, put the cabbage in a large sterilized jar for fermentation, squeezing and tightening strongly. When the container is full, squeeze its contents. Next, the classic recipe for sauerkraut is as follows.
The fluid drawn in by salt and press should rise above the cabbage if you are not using filtered or boiled water. Place a lid on top and leave the jar at room temperature for a minimum of two to three days. When the sauerkraut begins to bubble, and the taste becomes slightly acidic and sharp, it is ready. At this point, you can seal the cans and either leave the sauerkraut to ferment further at room temperature for several months, or put it in the refrigerator to stop fermentation. If you are new to preserving vegetables, try putting one can in the refrigerator and leaving the other in the room. Try both and find out what you like best. As you can see, the classic recipe for sauerkraut involves several varieties of dishes.
How is it useful?
As already noted, fermented foods are essential for the body because they contain probiotic microorganisms in the best possible form. Dietary supplements from probiotics settle in the upper parts of the digestive system and, as a rule, do not pass into the intestines, while natural products pass to the end of the digestive system. Fermentation processes food, making it easier for the body to digest food, so fermented foods are easily absorbed by people with intestinal diseases. This process releases nutrients from food, making them more accessible to the body. So, sauerkraut contains 20 times more vitamin C than fresh.
You can use sauerkraut in its pure form, and serve it with porridge, fried eggs and other favorite dishes. You can also add it or pickle to soup, stew for flavor and piquancy. Tasty and fry sauerkraut in a pan with chopped apple, smoked paprika or sausage. In a word, this product is universal and extremely popular. At the same time, sauerkraut recipes are very simple.
For people with digestive problems, the following is recommended. First, just add the sauerkraut juice to your daily diet, and then gradually introduce the vegetable itself. Brine stimulates the production of acid in the stomach and is of great help in the digestion of meat. Regular consumption of sauerkraut over time will help you restore normal acid production in your stomach.
It is advisable to cook it at home, as the store product is often pasteurized or processed in some other way, which makes it less useful.
Another basic option
A general guide or classic recipe for sauerkraut is expressed as follows. First separate the two layers of leaves from the head of cabbage. Then slice the rest of the cabbage into strips. Add 2 tablespoons of salt to each layer of chopped vegetable. Salt will destroy any putrefactive microbes before the formation of "good" bacteria that produce lactic acid.
You can also add 4 tablespoons of whey for every 2 layers of cabbage. Knead all the ingredients very well in a large bowl with your hands. You need to knead until the cabbage releases a lot of juice. More precisely, she must completely drown in her own juice. If for some reason there is not enough liquid in the cabbage, add some water to the mixture. Put a load or plate on top to squeeze everything under the liquid. Fermentation is an anaerobic process: if cabbage is exposed to air, it will rot instead of fermentation.
Keep this mixture indoors for about a week and then refrigerate. Cold will not stop the fermentation process, but it will slow it down.
According to this recipe, homemade sauerkraut is not only delicious, but also incredibly healthy. The finished product is ideal for adding to any of the spicy dishes. Below are other options for pickling cabbage, including with various toppings.
Option with carrots and sea salt
The great advantage of homemade sauerkraut is that during the fermentation process even a small amount of salt gives a salty taste. This means that when you add this product to salads and other dishes, you do not need to salt them. For this recipe for fast sauerkraut with carrots, you will need:
- 1/4 head of green cabbage;
- 1 large carrot or 2 small;
- coarse sea salt.
How to salt cabbage with carrots?
Cut the cabbage into thin strips (you can also use a food processor for this). Grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Put all the vegetables in a bowl of natural materials (it is recommended to use porcelain, this is important for the proper development of bacteria).
Next, the sauerkraut recipe looks like this. Put a little salt on your fingers, and gently mix with carrots and cabbage. Continue this process until you work together very carefully. Add salt every time you start active stirring. Use one tablespoon at a time.
Squeeze your hand into a fist and click on the mixture of salted vegetables (again, very carefully). Then, with the middle finger, make small holes in the mixture to release bitterness.
Heat some water. You can do this in a kettle, but do not bring it to a boil. Mix cold and warm water in a porcelain cup. It should turn out a little warmer than room temperature. Pour the water onto the cabbage. Pour enough to cover vegetables, but nothing more. Cover and let the mixture roam for about 8-10 hours.
After this time, make small cavities in the cabbage to allow gases to escape. Do this as often as possible - about 4-5 times a day. After one day, try sauerkraut and determine if it is ready. If not, let her roam a little more.
When the product is ready, transfer it (including liquid!) To a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. It is stored for about a week, so make small batches.
Sauerkraut in jars
In this sauerkraut recipe, the fermentation time is 21 days. However, you can let her roam for another week if you like a spicy product. You can salt cabbage and large pieces. It is important that you use natural seasonal vegetables so that no chemicals can interfere with the fermentation process. The same goes for salt - do not take iodized or fluorinated. For this sauerkraut recipe in a jar you need:
- 1 medium cabbage (white, savoy or red), about 500 grams;
- 4 teaspoons of sea salt.
You will also need:
- 1 large jar sterilized in a dishwasher or boiling water;
- 1 smaller jam jar (or glass cup), which is placed inside the larger neck, is also sterilized;
- large ceramic or glass mixing bowl.
How to make cabbage for this recipe?
Rinse and chop the cabbage in a bowl, add salt and remember everything with your hands. After a few minutes, you should see a decrease in the volume of the mass, since salt stimulates the exit of fluid from the cabbage, and it begins to fade. Keep moving your hands until a lot of liquid is released, then pack the cabbage with the juice in a jar, pushing everything down. For this, smaller containers are also needed. It is important that the cabbage remains below the liquid level. Refill it with a small amount of water if it is not wet enough. In addition, its volume will decrease with fermentation, so the weight of the product will become lighter. Fill a small jar with water and leave it on top like a press to keep the cabbage under water. Cover everything on top with a cloth and leave to stand at room temperature.
After a day, you should see bubbles rising up. Make sure the cabbage is immersed in water and crush it again. Depending on the time of year, reaching the right fermentation stage can take a couple of weeks. Further, the recipe for delicious sauerkraut in a jar will be individual for everyone. Just try the product once every few days, and when the taste is good for you, remove the press, tightly close the jar with a lid and move to a cool place.
Juniper Version
Even if you have never tried making homemade pickles, you can handle the sauerkraut recipe below. You will not need any sophisticated equipment or a great culinary experience. Only dishes and a set of certain products are needed. This recipe is noteworthy in that it includes juniper berries. This product is rarely used in cooking, and not everyone knows what it is. Junipers are evergreen trees and shrubs, and “berries” are dark blue scales that grow from cones of branches. So you will need:
- 8-10 glasses of chopped cabbage, loosely packed (about 1 large head);
- 10 juniper berries;
- 1 tsp cumin seeds;
- 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds;
- 1-2 tsp pure (e.g., sea) salt;
- 1 cup filtered water mixed with 1 tsp. sea salt.
How to make spicy cabbage?
The recipe for delicious sauerkraut looks like this. In a clean, non-metallic bowl, combine cabbage, juniper berries, caraway seeds, mustard seeds, and salt. Mash the slices to release the juices. Leave on for 10 minutes, then mix again. You can leave it for a while (1-2 hours), if necessary.
Next, you need to sterilize the jar and lid, boiling them for several minutes in clean water. Pack the cabbage mixture in a sterilized container, pressing on it with a wooden hammer or clean hands. Add filtered or non-chlorinated salt water to the edges of the can. Make sure all cabbage is covered in liquid.
Place the jar on a plate or tray to hold any iridescent juices. Keep it at room temperature for 2-3 weeks. As soon as the bubbles stop rising actively, check the contents of the jar and fill with plenty of salt water, if necessary. Remove all white spots or films from above, close the container tightly and store it in the refrigerator.
How to cook sauerkraut with honey and cranberries
There are many recipes for sauerkraut for the winter. Each hostess uses her own, proven cooking option, which allows you to make delicious crispy cabbage.
This recipe is not very common, but cabbage cooked with honey and cranberries is very tasty and more useful. To prepare it you need:
- white cabbage - 5.5 kg;
- large carrots - 1 piece;
- salt - a tablespoon;
- honey - a tablespoon;
- hot pepper - 1 pod;
- Bay leaf.
How to ferment cabbage with cranberries?
For this sauerkraut recipe, it is better to choose vegetables of later varieties, as they are the most dense and strong. At the same time, the stump is not suitable for salting.
First of all, thinly chop the cabbage. Then grate the carrots. Mix the vegetables thoroughly, being careful not to crush them too much. Add salt to them. Then put the honey and mix everything thoroughly again.
Put bay leaf and pepper on the bottom of the pot or jar. Spread a layer of cabbage on them, then fill it with washed and dried cranberries. Spread a layer of cabbage on top of the berry again, and repeat this step several times until the bowl is completely full.
Put the press on top and leave a bowl of cabbage in the room. Soon a pickle should stand out, which will begin to foam. This means that the fermentation process begins.
The main thing is not to miss it. Now the recipe for delicious sauerkraut requires your active participation. At this stage of cooking, you need to remove the press, remove excess foam and use a sharp wooden stick or knife with a long blade to regularly break cabbage in several places. This helps to release excess gas. Depending on room temperature, the fermentation process can continue for 2-3 days. Throughout this time, you need to pierce the cabbage twice a day with a knife or stick.
When the fermentation process is complete, move the cabbage to the refrigerator where it will be stored. It should be crispy, with a refreshing sour-salty taste. Fermentation allows you to save maximum vitamins, and the addition of cranberries makes the dish more useful and tasty, thanks to this recipe for sauerkraut. The photo, which is located above, demonstrates how the dish is aesthetically pleasing in appearance.
It is very important to monitor the fermentation process. If you do not remove the gas from the cabbage on time, it may become too acidic and there may be an unpleasant odor. In addition, you should not add too much cranberry, as this can lead to bitterness in the taste.
Ginger variant
This is not a classic recipe for sauerkraut, but according to it it always turns out crispy and tasty, and the use of multi-colored varieties helps to achieve a beautiful appearance of the dish. To do this, you will need the following components:
- 1 head of green cabbage;
- 1 head of purple cabbage;
- 2-3 tbsp. l sea salt;
- 2-4 Art. l fresh ginger;
- 1 lemon
- 1-2 glasses of water.
Next is a step-by-step recipe for sauerkraut, which allows you to get about 3 liters of the finished product. Cooking it is very simple. Grate and grind all components, squeeze lemon juice into cabbage.
To get started, you will need to prepare and disinfect several glass jars and a large glass bowl (or bucket). Now be sure to thoroughly rinse all products. You can even peel and discard the outer layers of cabbage if they look wilted. Grind the rest of the heads with a sharp knife or with a food processor. Grate the ginger. Put the cabbage in a large prepared bowl, squeeze the juice from the lemon into it, add chopped ginger and mix. Gradually fill in the salt and rub it with your hands.
Now fill the sterilized jars with this mixture, squeezing tightly. You should have approximately 5 cm of free space on top. This is very important, since only in this way can you prevent massive drilling when opening the can. Pour the vegetables with the juice that stood out when rubbing with salt, add water so that the entire contents of the container is immersed in liquid. Place closed jars in a safe place at room temperature (away from direct light) and let them brew for 4 to 10 days. At this time, you will see that the vegetables change color and texture. As soon as the bubbles begin to appear actively, periodically open the covers and let the gases exit. The finished product will have a pleasant pink color and spicy taste.