Sauerkraut is my jam. No really I spread it on toast like every morning. Love the stuff. It’s immune boosting gold and it makes almost everything taste better.
What an interesting time to be alive. When what’s old is new again. You see all these ‘Food trends for 2016’ predictions and everyone is all “fermented foods are SO hot right now.”
But you guys…they’ve always been hot, the discovery of fermentation enabled us to get this far as a species. I’d say that qualifies for a hotness factor way beyond Ryan Gosling or those cool new leaf necklaces that track pretty much every thing you do.
And speaking of HOT this Lemon Garlic Habanero Sauerkraut is pleasantly spicy, sour and super savoury. I made a huge batch and eat some at every meal.
With my three jars I let one ferment for a week, resulting in a really crispy not too pungent kraut.
The second jar I fermented for a month, the result is a much softer, spicier and more garlicky version.
The third jar has been fermenting for a month and a half and I only just tried it yesterday. The result with that one is a super soft, flavour packed pungent rendition.
Since I used red cabbage the colour change is noticeable. The first batch maintained a really bright purple/red, the second was a vibrant pink and the third a much softer pink.
The trick with allowing your krauts to ferment for a longer period is to ensure the veg is always under the water. You can get special weights for this or you can DIY and use a clean rock, a smaller glass filled with water or even the butt end of the cabbage.
For anyone super new to making sauerkraut I recommend check out this detailed post by Sandor Katz and my post on the plethora of reasons to indulge in this delicacy as well as a bunch of different flavour combination ideas.
Ingredients
- 1 head cabbage
- 1 Tbs sea salt
- 1-3 habanero peppers, finely minced (depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1 lemon, finely sliced (remove seeds but you can leave the peel on)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Remove the outer cabbage leaves and set aside. Shred cabbage in a food processor or finely slice using a mandolin or sharp knife.
- In a large bowl sprinkle the salt over the cabbage and massage it with your hands until the cabbage starts to break down and release moisture, this usually just takes a few minutes.
- Mix in the lemon, habanero and garlic.
- Portion sauerkraut into one large jar or a few smaller ones. Leave at least an inch of room at the top of each jar. Press firmly down so that all the air bubbles rise and the liquid rise to the top, the kraut should be covered with liquid but if you need more simply add 1 tsp of salt to 1 C warm pure water and dissolve. Pour as much salt water as is necessary on your kraut.
- Cover and set aside to ferment for anywhere from 1 week to a few months.
- Check the kraut often for the first few days to make sure its still packed down and covered with water.
- *This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
