Never done it before, this simple fermentation that is sauerkraut (2013):

I had two parallel experiments, one with finely shredded white cabbage, the other one with larger pieces.

I did not have a good seal for either of the two batches, I tried first to use cabbage leaves as stoppers but that didn’t really work out nicely. had some white mold coming up so I decided to use the bottom of a cognac glass as a stopper and keep it down with a towel and rubber band around the neck of the vessel. That seemed to work out quite fine initially.. However when I opened the bottle, even though a nice smell of sauerkraut came out, I was a bit reluctant to go for it as I read on a website (which I forgot to bookmakr) that when it looks a bit on the brown side, it’s not good..  and as I didn’t feel particularly comfi with it it went.. 🙁 For the other batch I used a plate which was a bit too high over the veggies, so I poured some additional water into it, keeping it moist..

The finely shredded cabbage (on the right) smelled great, but I also had a tiny tiny bit of surface mold, so I scraped the top 5 cm away (a bit overkill but I felt much better with the cabbage underneath..). The kraut went into fridge in two conservation pots (=> I realize that I should have taken pictures of the setups and the batches for future reference.. next time..)

The recipe

I am not used to using fermented vegetables as a  basis for anything, I never grew up with it, so I improvised and used half of that of one of the conservation pots as a basis for an ‘on-the-spot’ sauerkraut salad :

Ingredients: added to the sauerkraut: carrots, white carrots, dark carrots, apple, all finely shredded, and thoroughly mixed I left it in the fridge for about a day or 2-3. Today I ate it a gigantic portion of it because it tasted so good (and I still feel fine ;)). For those who do not like sour so much, just add an extra apple or two.. then it will be more sweet-sour..  This will be repeated, I love it 🙂

 

Brothers and sisters of Sauerkraut

There are obviously different ways to go for sauerkraut. Possible other options for fermenting which I’ve tried and were quite good are:

• Sauerkraut ‘Provencale’: with mediterranean herbs: basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary (etc)
• Sauerkraut ‘Orientale’: with lots of ginger and turmeric root (one of my favorites)

KimChi

KimChi comes in all sizes and shapes. Probably, the ones we’re making in the West will make the Koreans cringe, but nevertheless..

I’ve tried a couple of KimChi recipes, most notably is the one from “Wild Fermentation” by Sandor Katz. It’s a good one to start out, but it wasn’t my favorite. I did find another one which definitely did it for me. I’m sure it is a Westernized and more palatable version of the original, but well, can’t deny ones roots now, can we 🙂

I found it originally on Yummly.com (but I can no longer find it there; when I do I’ll certainly share it!). In the meantime: what I use is green cabbage, roasted sesame, carrots, garlic, ginger, spring onions, red chili, fish sauce and salt.