This recipe is designed to give you enough Sauerkraut to last a month or more.
Delicious and rich in probiotics, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
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Tips for a smooth process
Use Fresh Ingredients
You can't substitute in this recipe. Ensure your spices, and root vegetables including ginger, turmeric and garlic are fresh. This means no ground and dry spices.
Massage the ingredients together well.
Ensure that you mix the ingredients together very well. Once the cabbage, beets and carrots are placed in the bowl with the remainder of the flavours and salt, you need to ensure you use a whole 5-10 minutes massaging, mixing and kneading the cabbage so that enough juices are released to completely cover the cabbage in brine in the jar/s.
The cabbage and mixture must be submerged in the brine!
Once placed in your jar, ensure all your ingredients are completely submerged under the brine. You can achieve this by pressing down firmly or adding water and salt on top. This is the most important step as it allows the mixture to be away from oxygen in order for the lactic acid bacteria to multiply and for the cabbage and mixture to ferment properly. This step is also important to prevent the growth of undesirable bacteria such as mould.
Leave room for bubbles and the rise of the brine.
Leave about 1/10 of the jar space at the top completely free to allow the brine to rise and bubble. The bacteria growing in the mixture are eating the sugars in the vegetables and juices and, in turn, this produces carbon dioxide (hence the bubbles). Don't fret if you don't see any bubbles in the first few days. Continue burping your jar (i.e. opening it so it gets some air) and give it more time. Room temperatures and external climates will affect the speed of fermentation.
Adding more beetroot will assist with creating natural juices and brine.
The use of garlic and ginger will speed up the fermentation process and reduce the not-so-loved odour a typical fermented cabbage will give. The use of cooked beetroot will add more to the natural brine once everything is mixed and kneaded. This will give you enough juice to cover the complete mixture in your jar. You can also add extra water from the pot you used to cook the beets into the mix if you need it - so save the hot pink water from cooking the beets for when you compress your sauerkraut into the jar.
Place your jar in a warm spot in your kitchen and place a tray underneath.
Place your jar in a spot that is not too cool and is out of direct sunlight. This will ensure the mixture will ferment at the right pace. As a precaution, place a tray under the jar incase the brine spills through as it bubbles up and ferments. This shouldn't happen if you have left enough airspace at the top of the jar and you remember to burp the jar daily.
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Surprisingly easy and quick to make and will ferment in less than a week.
Ginger, Beetroot and Turmeric Sauerkraut
Time: 45 Minutes Yield: 5 Ltr Mason Jar
Ingredients
1 Large Red Cabbage, thinly sliced and rinsed
2-3 Medium Beetroot, cooked and thinly sliced
2-3 Carrots, shredded
5cm Knob of Ginger Root (about 5x2cm "in length and width")
3cm Knob of Tumeric Root (3x2cm"" )
3 Cloves of garlic, Grated
1.5 Tbsp Salt
1/2 cup water
Note: To make less, halve the recommended ingredient portions and place the sauerkraut mixture into smaller jars.
Method
1. Prepare a large jar by cleaning and sterilising with hot water.
2. Thinly slice the cabbage, or place into a food processor with a shredding tool to do it faster.
3. Do the same with the carrots.
4. Clean the beetroot and then boil until cooked.
5. Once the beetroot is cooked, slice as thin as possible in any shape that is easiest for you.
6. Add vegetables into a large mixing bowl. Ensure the bowl is double the size of the mixture for ease.
7. Peel the skin of the ginger, tumeric and garlic and then grate into the bowl. Add 1/2 the salt and 1/2 cup of water and then mix together until combined.
8. Once combined, add the remaining salt and continue to mix and knead the mixture with pressure until the juices of the cabbage come through. Do this until the size of the mixture is visibly reduced and you can start to see the juices coming through. If you can't see the juices, add more water and salt.
9. Scoop the mixture out of the bowl and into the sterilised jar and be sure not to touch any other surfaces while doing this. This is to ensure you have no mould growth. As you put the mixture into the jar, press it down firmly using a fork or spoon to eliminate airspace and allow the juices to rise up the jar. Once placed in your jar, press down firmly and pour remaining juices from the bowl into the jar.
10. Top with a splash of water and salt, close the jars and allow them to sit for 24 hours before opening.
11. After 24 hours, open the jar and allow it to breathe for an hour. This is called "burping" the jars to release excess pressure.
12. Repeat this every day for 5-7 days, tasting your sauerkraut until your reach your desired fermented flavour.
13. Once you are happy with the taste, place your jar in the fridge. It should last you 1-3 months.
NUTRITION INFORMATION Average Quantity per 100g
Energy 73.2 kJ
Protein 0.6g
Fat, total 0.1g
- saturated 0g
Carbohydrate 2.5g
- sugars 2.4g
Sodium 191mg
* Created with foodstandards.gov.au Nutrition Panel Calculator. Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on quantities used and served.
