This carrot & turmeric sauerkraut is the third kraut recipe on the blog and you might be tempted to think I prefer fermenting over baking. Well if you did think that you’d probably be right! In my mind making sauerkraut is simple and fail-safe but, I’ve had a few people reach out to say their kraut hasn’t worked. For that reason, I’m going to overly emphasise the salting and the liquid phases of this process. You need to add A LOT of salt. The general rule of thumb is to add salt at 2% of the cabbage weight. I also highly recommend tasting the cabbage mix before jarring it.
It should taste so salty enough to want to spit out. The salt serves to preserve but it also draws out liquid from the cabbage leaves. When you pack your cabbage into the jar, you should press it down until liquid rises to cover the layer of cabbage you’ve pressed down. This reduces the kraut’s exposure to air and stops mould from growing. Don’t worry you’ve got this!
I’ve spiked this sauerkraut with carrots, turmeric and cumin seeds. The turmeric gives the kraut a lovely sunshine yellow colour, not to mention a little nutrition boost. For a very simple kraut recipe, you can make this with just cabbage, salt and pepper!
ingredients
- 1 head (1kg approx.) white cabbage
- 25g fine sea salt or 2% of the weight of your cabbage
- 120g carrot, peeled unless using organic
- 70g shallots
- 2 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
- A few turns of a black pepper grinder
process
Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and put to one side. You’ll need them later. Cut the cabbage in half and then into quarters. Remove the white cores and discard.
Shred the cabbage finely, using a mandolin if you have one, or a sharp knife. As you shred the cabbage place into a large bowl and sprinkle with some of the salt (this helps to initiate the breakdown of the cabbage and draw the water out), repeat this process until all the cabbage is cut.
Finely slice the shallots and julienne the carrot. Add them to the cabbage along with the turmeric, cumin seeds, pepper and any remaining salt. Mix well and firmly massage the cabbage to soften and draw out more liquid. Once you start to see liquid from the cabbage in the bottom of the bowl, taste the cabbage and adjust for salt (it should taste unbearably salty.
Place a handful of the mixture into a clean jar and press firmly into the base. Continue to press the cabbage down into the jar until enough liquid has been released to completely cover this first handful of cabbage then add a second handful. Repeat until all the mixture has been jarred.
Fold up the outer leaves of the cabbage and stuff them into the top of the jar to firmly pack the mixture down. The liquid from the cabbage should come to the top of the jar.
Place the lid on top of the jar but do not seal. Store out of direct sunlight in a cool dry place.
Knowing when your kraut is ready to eat is really a matter of taste. The fermentation process is not an exact science and will depend on the temperature of your kitchen. In summer months I suggest 3-4days and in winter 7-10days. After the third day smell and taste the kraut to determine the progress of your ferment. Store in the fridge once the kraut is to your liking.
