VEGAN

Fermented Red Cabbage Recipe

Appetizers | Georgian cuisine

⏳ Time

10 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

Fermented red cabbage recipe

Ingredients

Red Cabbage - 4 lbs
Beets - 4 pieces
Celery Greens - 7.1 oz
Garlic - 1 head
Chili Pepper - 5 pieces
Bay leaves - to taste
Black peppercorns - to taste
Coarse Salt - 0.4 oz

Step by Step guide

Step 1

In a five-liter jar with a wide mouth, place the chopped cabbage (don't forget to remove the core) cut into thick 'watermelon' pieces.

Step 2

Boil the very red beets for about twenty minutes, then cool, peel, and slice them into thin rounds. Note: Boiling the beets for 20 minutes removes the 'earthy' smell from pickled beets while preserving the color.

Step 3

Make a mixture of greens and garlic: Wash the greens and hot pepper until shiny and chop them into fairly large pieces. Add the garlic cloves whole, otherwise, it will overpower the other flavors. Add a couple of bay leaves.

Step 4

Now divide this mixture into 3 parts and place one third at the bottom of the jar. Then add half of the cabbage.

Step 5

In the middle, add another part of the vegetable mixture. Then the remaining cabbage and top with the rest of the green mixture. If you want the cabbage to be very crispy, dissolve the salt in COLD water (in a ratio of 1 dessert spoon, i.e., 10 grams of salt, per 1 liter of water) and pour it into the jar (by the way, it's better to use bottled or boiled water rather than tap water).

Step 6

For a softer texture, blanch the cabbage in boiling water for about five minutes, then pour hot brine over it.

Step 7

For medium firmness, pour boiling brine over it without blanching. Place the jar in a warm spot for a week and watch to ensure it doesn't spill red juice everywhere: press down firmly and compact it with each attempt at rebellion. Once fermentation stops, taste a leaf: if it's ready, move the jar to a cool place.