Sauerkraut is one of the most popular dishes of the winter season in our country. How pleasant it is to feast on her in the cold season! This dish is a great alternative to mayonnaise salads, in addition - it is the most successful snack!
The history of sauerkraut dates back more than one hundred years, while our resourceful ancestors, without having any know-how to preserve, managed to invent amazing recipes. To this day, housewives continue to experiment with a variety of recipes for starter cabbage. This dish has long been a classic of Russian cuisine.
Lactic acid acts as a preservative in the process of cabbage fermentation. How does it arise? Everything is extremely simple: microorganisms that are contained in cabbage absorb glucose, which is also found in vegetables. Although, the “native” lactic acid for full fermentation is not always enough. That is why salt is used in the preparation of such cabbage.
We recommend you the 10 best recipes for crispy sauerkraut with carrots for the winter: a list of the most delicious and easiest ways to cook at home.
10. The classic version of sauerkraut
To ferment white cabbage according to traditional recipe, you will need 10 kg of cabbage and 200 g of salt.
First, you should clear the cabbage from the integumentary leaves and remove the stalk. Next, go to the shredder. Here you can be guided by your own preferences, although the size of pieces of 3 mm is considered the most optimal.
Mix shredded cabbage with salt. It does not make sense to intensively knead it - it will be enough to hold the cabbage in a pre-prepared container for about half an hour and thus the cabbage juice necessary for the proper starter culture will stand out in the right amount.
It is believed that a reliable sign of the end of the fermentation process is the clarification of the brine. The cabbage itself at this moment settles and acquires a sour - salty taste, while remaining crispy.
Next, sauerkraut, in order to prevent it from fermenting, is stored at a positive temperature, but not more than 2 degrees above zero.
By the way, during storage, you should always pay attention to the degree of filling of the barrel with brine. It is also necessary to remove mold periodically from time to time.
Did you know, a specific sour taste of sauerkraut, for which this product is so loved, arises due to the occurrence of natural chemical reactions. This is due to the stimulation of fermentation, which results in the release of lactic, acetic and tartronic acids. In addition to the formation of a unique taste, as a result of ripening, cabbage is enriched with many vitamins useful for the body.
9. Sauerkraut with apples
This method of fermenting cabbage differs from the classical version in that here chopped carrots (300 gr) are added to cabbage (10 kg) and apples (500 gr).
Despite the enormous nutritional value of sauerkraut, its excessive use can harm health, especially for people who have a history of gastrointestinal diseases, excretory system, pancreas, and hypertension. In this case, exposure to excessive amounts of natural acids can provoke an exacerbation of the pathological process.
8. Sauerkraut with cranberries
In this case, instead of apples used cranberry (200 gr). This combination will give sauerkraut an incredibly expressive taste, while not making it cloyingly acidic.
Interestingthat the regular use of sauerkraut very positively affects the life expectancy of representatives of the strong half of humanity. Women will also benefit from moderate consumption of sauerkraut, because it is a kind of natural antioxidant.
Shredded sauerkraut face masks give your face freshness. In addition, this product can be used in the fight against age spots and acne.
7. Sauerkraut with caraway seeds
You will surely like the aroma and crispy structure of sauerkraut, prepared according to the classic recipe with the addition of caraway seeds. To do this, add 5 grams of cumin seeds in a barrel for ripening, along with chopped white cabbage (10 kg) and carrots (half a kilogram).
6. Sauerkraut with lingonberries
5 kg of white cabbage shred. Grind 200 gr carrots with a coarse grater. Mix it with cabbage and pour 50 g of salt and thoroughly knead with your hands until the juice appears.
We compact the cabbage in layers in a prepared container (10-15 centimeters thick) and lay 300 gr on this layer lingonberries. Next, we ram the cabbage layer again, after which we guess 300 grams of berries. The final layer should consist of cabbage. On top of it you can lay spicy twigs.
Press the last layer with a flat enameled plate, cover with a cloth and set the oppression. While the cabbage will ferment (2-3 days) at a temperature of about 20 degrees, it is imperative to remove the foam. Remove excess brine. After the fermentation is completed, we remove the cabbage in a cold place.
5. Spicy sauerkraut
To chopped 10 kg of cabbage, we attach half a kilogram of fresh carrots, 5 grams of cumin seeds, 0.2 grams of coriander seeds, allspice, half a kilogram of apples and 100 grams of salt. Ferment according to the classic recipe and enjoy the taste spicy and crispy cabbage.
4. Sauerkraut with a can
Washed vegetables (cabbage - 3 kg and 300 g carrots) are prepared in accordance with the classic recipe for ripening cabbage. After which they begin to ram to the jar to the edge. The jar needs to be immersed in a deep container so that excess liquid flows there. In this condition, it should stand in a warm place for 3-4 days. At the end of the fermentation, the jar is tightly closed with a capron lid and cleaned in the cold.
3. A quick way to pickle cabbage
Mix 3 kg of chopped cabbage, 300 g of carrots and 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic. In 1.5 liters of water add 250 grams of vegetable oil, 3 tablespoons of salt and 200 grams of sugar.
Add 9% 200 g of table vinegar to the boiled mixture and continue to keep it on fire for another 2-3 minutes. Next, pour hot marinade quick cabbage. After 2 hours, the vegetable mixture will be ready for use.
2. Sauerkraut with beets
Follow the traditional recipe for fermentation, only when tamping vegetables in a jar, add 500 g. beetsgrated on a coarse grater.
1. An unusual recipe for sauerkraut
This recipe for fermenting white cabbage differs from the classic one in that vegetables are dipped in a colander in a pre-cooked brine. After that, they rise. You should wait a while until all excess fluid drains.
To prepare the brine, you must add 100 g of salt in 1 liter of warm boiled water. Next, they lay a raw egg there. Be sure to wait a bit until the egg rises 1 cm above the surface.
Did you knowthat almost all the great sailors who made great geographical discoveries took sauerkraut with them to the ship. It was she who helped travelers during long wanderings avoid the development of hypovitaminosis and scurvy. It follows from this that due to such an uncomplicated product as sauerkraut, incredible discoveries were made.