Main ingredients 🥩
CabbageSalt
Seungwoo Dad's Sauerkraut
A sour and crunchy German-style fermented cabbage pickle made by naturally fermenting cabbage and salt for 5 days.
🙋 Recommended for
- ⭐ Those who want a clean side dish that pairs perfectly with heavy Western meat dishes like sausages, Schweinshaxe, or pastrami.
- ⭐ Those who want to enjoy the deep, natural sourness of lactic acid fermentation rather than the sharp tang of artificial vinegar.
- ⭐ Those who want to make a very economical and shelf-stable homemade pickle using just cabbage and salt.
Ingredients needed 🛒4 servings
- 1 head cabbage
- Salt (2% of the total weight of the trimmed cabbage)
Recipe 🍳
- Thoroughly sanitize the glass container, tools, and cooking gloves with hot water or alcohol to prevent contamination during the long fermentation [00:01:56].
- Wash the cabbage under running water, then slice it thinly and evenly with a knife [00:02:03].
- Weigh the total sliced cabbage and measure out exactly 2% of that weight in salt [00:02:07].
- Place the cabbage and salt in a large bowl and vigorously knead and press for 30 minutes until the cabbage releases enough liquid [00:02:13].
- Transfer the salted cabbage to the sanitized fermentation container, and pour in any remaining liquid from the bowl without wasting a drop [00:02:27].
- Press down firmly with your fist or a tool to ensure the cabbage is fully submerged under the liquid, then close the lid [00:02:33].
- Leave at cool room temperature away from direct sunlight for 5 days to ferment naturally. It is done when it gives off a sour aroma and has a crunchy texture [00:02:44].
- Sanitize the fermentation container thoroughly, then slice the cabbage thinly [00:01:56].
- Add 2% salt by weight of the cabbage and knead vigorously for 30 minutes to extract enough liquid [00:02:13].
- Pack into the container with the liquid, press down firmly, and ferment at room temperature for 5 days [00:02:27].
Cooking tips 💡
- Since sauerkraut is a natural lactic acid fermentation, the most critical point is to sanitize tools and wear gloves to prevent harmful bacteria from entering [00:01:56].
- The liquid from the cabbage must completely cover the solids to block oxygen exposure, preventing mold or yeast from forming and ensuring proper fermentation [00:02:37].