Sauerkraut can rightfully be called one of the most popular dishes of Russian cuisine. And many housewives can even boast of their own "branded" recipe. There are several types of sauerkraut (chopped, shredded, whole cabbage, etc.), but the main components remain unchanged - white cabbage and salt.
Did you know? …
- Sauerkraut contains not only vitamin C, but also vitamins A, K and group B. If you regularly include sauerkraut in the menu, then this has a very positive effect on the immune system and the thyroid gland. It is also believed that the consumption of this product neutralizes harmful bacteria in the intestines and improves digestion in general. However, sauerkraut is contraindicated for stomach and duodenal ulcers.
- Sauerkraut can be cooked without salt at all. In this case, a certain amount of clean drinking water is poured into a container (jar or barrel) with prepared vegetables and pressed with a press. However, the shelf life of the product prepared in this way is shortened, since the salt acts as a preservative.
- Sauerkraut can be used as a base for salad, cabbage soup and other dishes. And from the brine from cabbage, a very tasty homemade mustard is obtained, which is much superior to the purchased one. To prepare it, you need to dilute the mustard powder with brine until sour cream is thick and leave in a warm place for a day. Then add a few drops of vegetable oil to the mixture.
- Sour berries (cranberries, lingonberries, cloudberries), some vegetables (carrots, beets, bell peppers, pumpkin), as well as fruits (hard apples and pears) can sometimes be used as additional components of the recipe.
Traditional recipe for homemade sauerkraut
Ingredients:
- 1, 6 kg of white cabbage;
- 1 raw carrot;
- 1 liter of water;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of salt;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar.
Cooking step by step:
1. Boil water, cool and mix with salt and sugar. Let them dissolve in the liquid. Rinse the cabbage thoroughly, separate a few upper leaves. Then chop the cabbage in the way that works best for you. Ideally, it is good to use a special grater, but in the absence of this device, simply cut the cabbage forks into thin strips with a sharp knife.
2. Rinse the carrots well, peel and grate (you can take a special grater for Korean carrots - then you get even and beautiful long sticks). Toss the cabbage and carrots in a deep bowl, such as a saucepan or bowl. You do not need to knead vegetables in your hands, otherwise the cabbage may turn out to be too soft, it will lose crunchiness.
3. Prepare a clean 3 liter jar and place some of the vegetable mixture in it. Gently tamp the mixture with a wooden mashed potato pusher. Repeat the procedure until you reach the very top.
4. Carefully pour in the brine and cover with a regular plastic lid. Place the jar of cabbage in a deep saucepan or bowl and leave at room temperature for three days. Use a chopstick to pierce the top of the cabbage every day in several places (Chinese chopsticks are handy). This is necessary to release the gases that form during fermentation - then the finished cabbage will not be bitter.
Tip: you can carry out the procedure with chopsticks only on the third day of cooking, after that you should wait a few hours, and then you can start tasting homemade sauerkraut.
