October 16, 2016

This Amazing Flavour Booster Will Promote Your Gut Health. Pickled Cabbage 101.

If you knew how much goodness you are missing out on without the homemade sour kraut, you would read this post and pickle a jar of cabbage today!

I would definitely not call myself a pickler or a canner but when you upgrade your salad with a dash of cabbage or use as a side dish to top up your burger, you will feel addicted to tasting the robust zingy flavour on your tongue. Try it with dumplings, fish or your ordinary rice dish - the choice is yours. The best part - fermented cabbage promotes good gut health and boosts food digestion.

What is fermentation?

Fermentation is when the natural microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, molds) break down carbohydrates (glucose) without oxygen into either ethanol (a kind of alcohol) or lactic acid. Lactic acid has quite a huge difference with the effect from alcohol (think beer and wine).

The human body is regularly swarmed with bacteria, some hazardous, some benign, but mostly they are good for us. This bacteria present in our digestive systems helps break down food transforming it into energy. It has been revealed in a recent study that fermented foods not only help our digestion but they support our immune systems as well.

Here is how to make the pickled cabbage at home without vinegar. Pickling without vinegar will ensure the good bacteria that promotes healthy gut stays alive.

Here's a simple recipe of the Ukranian origin that requires minimum ingredients and no canning!

You will need :

* 1 small/medium head cabbage
* 1 carrot
* 20 grams of table salt
* black pepper (granular)
* bay leaf
* large bowl for squashing
* 1litre glass jar/plastic food bucket
* weight 200-250gm

The simple cabbage pickle instructions (without vinegar) :

1. Wash and rinse the carrot and cabbage heads.

2. Coarsely shred the carrot.

3. Cut the cabbage in half cm slices with a knife or shredder/chopper.

4. Put cabbage and the carrot in a bowl in two distinct layers.

5. Add 20g of table salt, bay leaf and pepper to taste. How to pickle cabbage with carrot and salt

6. Mix and squash until the juice appears.

How to squash and mash the cabbage for pickeling

7. Place the mix into a 1-liter glass jar or a bucket. Press it tightly with your hands so the juice covers the contents completely. Put a smaller container (ie glass or smaller jar) on top of the contents to create weight and promote the juice secretion. Leave the jar in a cool and dark place for 5 days.

8. Put a smaller sized container (ie glass or smaller jar) on top of the contents to create weight and promote the juice secretion. Leave the jar in a cool and dark place for 5 days.

9. Leave the jar in a cool and dark place for 5 days.

10. Throughout these five days periodically poke the contents with a long stick to release the build up fermentation gasses.

11. Your cabbage will be ready in 7 days. Store the jar in the fridge.

Warning : make sure to check for juice overflow.

Tip : cover the surface area around the jar with glad wrap and paper towel in case of spillage.

This Amazing Flavour Booster Will Promote Your Gut Health. Pickled Cabbage 101.

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