Sauerkraut is one of the easiest of fermented dishes to make. Most of the store bought stuff is pasteurised so doesn’t have the health benefits that raw kraut has. It has the perfect sour taste to go in a burger or mixed into a salad.
This sauerkraut recipe is simple and easy to make your own sauerkraut that will be loaded with beneficial bacteria that your gut will thank you for. This bacteria will also help digestion.
The only two ingredients needed for sauerkraut is salt and cabbage, however to give it more flavour some seeds and carrot are added.
As sauerkraut is fermented it’s a good source of K2 that can be lacking in vegan diets. Try to have a tablespoon a day of raw unpasteurised living sauerkraut for health benefits alone.
Ruby Sauerkraut
A cheap and easy way to fill your body with beneficial bacteria is with home made ruby Sauerkraut. Your gut flora will thank you for having a spoonful of this healthy living sauerkraut everyday. By making your own sauerkraut you can ensure that it's unpasturised and living. Shop bought sauerkraut has been heat treated and has killed much of the goodness. A great source of plant k2 is sauerkraut as its been fermented,
Ingredients
- 1 large cabbage
- 2 tablespoons salt
- optional 2 carrots,
- optional 1 tablespoon cumin seeds / caraway seeds / juniper berries – any of these work great for flavour.
Instructions
- Grate the cabbage and carrot. Either by hand using a normal course grater or with a machine.
- Place the grated vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle on the salt and seeds.
- Leave to stand for half an hour.
- Massage the mixture until liquid is released.
- Pack tightly into a jar and place a weight on top, like a pint glass filled with water.
- It’s vital that there is a gap for gasses to be released, see the video below to show this.
- Ensure that the liquid level is above the veg, place on a saucer (as it will over spill) and leave for 1-2 weeks somewhere warm that’s out of direct sunlight.
- Check every couple of days to make sure the liquid level is above the veg, if not push down on the weight. When its bubbling you know its fermenting.
- Taste after a week, if it sour enough for you then you can eat it or store in the fridge for a few weeks.
- Else keep fermenting until it reaches the right sourness for you.
Nutrition Information
Yield
50Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 3Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 255mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 0g
Spiced Sauerkraut Recipe
If you find the original recipe a bit too bland add the following to the basic cabbage and salt recipe for a kraut with a bit more of a kick
- 1 thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 2 fresh green chillies
- 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoons ground almonds
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
Sauerkrat is a good source of vitamin k2.
Can I add an apple, or will it mess up taste / fermentation?
Well that has stumped me, I’m really not sure to be honest – I’ve never tried fermenting something sweet like fruit in a kraut. If it goes wrong you can tell by the smell!