Simple but delicious sauerkraut recipes without vinegar

Sauerkraut is a valuable source of vitamins and minerals. Without vinegar, it turns out to be healthier and softer in taste. It's easy to prepare such a dish - just follow all the subtleties and recommendations. Consider how to choose the right ingredients, ferment and store the finished product.

Choosing cabbage

One of the main conditions for a tasty snack is the right choice of products. For this, medium-late and late varieties and hybrids of vegetables (for example, Moskovskaya, Countess, Valentina) are suitable. Heads of cabbage of these varieties are juicy and sweet; they do not lose crispness when fermented. Leaves are taken without bitter tastesecreting a lot of juice.

When buying, the head of cabbage is examined from all sides, checked for damage and traces of pests. Small vegetables (about 1 kg) with white and hard leaves are suitable.

Container

The second important condition for a high-quality starter culture is the choice of container: not only the taste of the product depends on it, but also the shelf life.

Wooden

The best containers are wooden barrels and tubs. Before use, they are poured with boiling water and left under the lid for 10 minutes. Water is replaced with a new one (cold and purified), left for 20 days, while changing every 3-4 days. After the liquid is drained, and the container is dried, fumigated with sulfur and washed thoroughly.

Attention! For pickling cabbage, it is better to use oak tubs: they protect the product from mold and moisture.

Enameled

Increasingly, housewives are using enameled dishes for fermentation. When choosing such a container, it is important that there is no damage or chips on it. Otherwise, the metal will begin to release toxic substances that will spoil the taste of the product and harm your health.

Plastic

Using such a container, pay attention to its labeling.

Only plastic is suitable, on which there is a sign in the form of a triangle of three arrows with the number 5 inside and the letters PP on the bottom. This is how they mark safe and environmentally friendly polypropylene cookware intended for food use.

Glass

If there is not much cabbage, it is better to ferment it in glass jars (three- or five-liter). The container is taken without chips or damage.

Important! Do not use utensils made of metal or stainless steel: during fermentation, acid reacts with metal and vegetables lose their beneficial properties.

Preparing cabbage

Before fermenting the vegetable, it is cleaned of excess foliage and thoroughly washed in cool running water.

The head of cabbage is cut in half and chopped with a knife or chopped on a special grater, not too thinly, otherwise the appetizer will become soft. The stalk is removed or cut separately and added to the rest of the cabbage. Sometimes they leave halves, whole heads of cabbage or cut them into squares. Grinding option depends on recipe or personal preference.

Sauerkraut without vinegar

This classic winter recipe is one of the most common.

Ingredients:

• 3 liters of purified water;
• 3 kg of cabbage;
• 1 kg of carrots;
• 150 g coarse stone salt.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Head of cabbage is crushed.
2. Carrots are washed, peeled and rubbed.
3. Sprinkle vegetables a little salt and mix thoroughly.
4. Cabbage leaves are placed in the selected container and chopped vegetables are laid out.
5. For cooking brine mix water with salt, completely fill the container with it.
6. Cover the vegetables with leaves and place the load on top.
7. The starter is placed in a warm place (the optimum temperature is + 19 ... + 22 ° C) for 3-5 days. After a day, foam forms on the surface, which is collected.

The cabbage is ready when the foam stops forming and the brine turns clear.

Recipe variations

Peppers, cranberries or lingonberries, apples, spices to taste are added to the appetizer.

Cabbage "Piquant"

A recipe for those who love sharper. The pepper will add a special piquancy to the dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of cabbage;
• 200 g carrots;
• 2-3 cloves of garlic;
• 1 hot pepper;
• 5 g salt;
• 15 g sugar;
• 30 ml of vegetable oil;
• 500 ml of purified water.

Cooking method:

1. The head of cabbage is chopped, the carrots are rubbed, the garlic is finely chopped, the peppers are peeled and chopped.
2. Put the vegetables in a deep bowl and stir.
3. To prepare the brine, add sugar, salt, oil to a pot of water. The mixture is brought to a boil.
4. The hot marinade is poured into vegetables.
5. Put the starter culture under the load in a warm place for 5-6 hours.
6. Transfer the cabbage to a glass container and place in the refrigerator.

Cabbage "Vitamin"

This vitamin salad strengthens the immune system and improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

You will need:

• 1 kg of white cabbage;
• 2 carrots;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• red bell pepper - to taste;
• 250 ml of water;
• 15 g salt;
• cranberries or lingonberries - optional;
• 30 g granulated sugar;
• 15 ml of vegetable oil.

Preparation:

1. The cabbage is cut into strips, the carrots are rubbed, the bell peppers are peeled and chopped, the garlic is chopped.
2. Mix vegetables with berries. Pour vegetable oil, leave the resulting mass for 10 minutes.
3. Add sugar and salt to a pot of water. The mixture is put on a small fire and boiled.
4. The appetizer is poured with hot marinade, everything is thoroughly mixed.
5. The workpiece is covered with gauze or cling film and left for 10-12 hours in the refrigerator.

The longer the dish stays in the refrigerator, the richer its taste will be.

With carrots and apples

Apples increase the vitamin value of the dish and improve its taste. They use sweet and sour-sweet varieties.

Ingredient List:

• 500 g of cabbage;
• 200 g carrots;
• 1 medium apple;
• 1 lemon;
• 5 g salt;
• 15 ml of vegetable oil for dressing.

Preparation:

1. Head of cabbage is chopped, carrots are rubbed coarsely.
2. The core is taken out of the apple. The fruit is rubbed or cut into thin strips.
3. Juice is squeezed out of the lemon halves.
4. Put the cabbage in a deep container, sprinkle it with salt and carefully wrinkle it with your hands.
5. Add carrots, apple, lemon juice, oil and mix everything again.
6. The finished dish is served at the table.

In brine

The recipe with brine is very popular: this cabbage turns out to be crisper and juicier, and the spices give it a special taste.

You will need:

• 2 kg of cabbage;
• 400 g carrots;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 2-3 peas of black pepper;
• 1 liter of water;
• 30 g salt;
• 15 g sugar.

How to cook:

1. Vegetables are chopped, mixed.
2. Transfer the mixture to the selected container, spread bay leaf and pepper between the layers of vegetables.
3. Salt and sugar are dissolved in warm boiled water.
4. Pour the pickle into the snack so that it completely covers it.
5. The container is left under gauze or a lid for 3-4 days in a warm place.

The finished dish is stored in the refrigerator.

5-minute

An instant recipe for those who don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It is easy to ferment such cabbage, but they try it the very next day.

Ingredients:

• 2 kg of cabbage;
• 3 carrots;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1 liter of water;
• 30 g salt;
• 50 g sugar;
• 100 ml of vegetable oil;
• spices - optional.

How to quickly ferment:

1. Head of cabbage is cut into strips or chopped, carrots are rubbed, garlic is chopped.
2. Put all the ingredients in a deep bowl and mix with your hands so that the vegetables start juicing.
3. Water is poured into a saucepan and brought to a boil, sugar, salt, oil are added.
4. The vegetable mixture is poured with hot brine, seasoned with spices and left under the lid for a day at room temperature.

How and with what to serve

The appetizer is added to various salads or served as a main dish (for example, seasoned with butter and mixed with onions). The dish goes best with meat and potatoes.

Terms and conditions of storage

The shelf life of the dish depends on the container, place and storage conditions:

• cabbage is kept in the cellar from 2 to 3 months;
• on a glazed balcony - from 4 to 5 months at a temperature of 0 ... + 5 ° C;
• in a refrigerator, in a sealed container - up to 3 months (in an open container - from 7 to 10 days);
• in an apartment - 2-3 days at a temperature of + 10 ° C and above.

For longer storage (7-8 months), the cabbage is frozen.

Attention! Indoor humidity should be between 85–90%.

Tips from experienced housewives

Helpful hints:

• after slicing or shredding, the vegetable is crumpled with moderate force to make it crisper;
• if the carrots are cut into strips, the cabbage will retain its white color;
• onions are not added to the appetizer: it reduces the shelf life;
• for a variety of taste, various spices are used: pepper, cumin, coriander, bay leaf;
• during fermentation, the snack is pierced with a wooden stick so that excess gas comes out;
• use only coarse rock salt, since iodized makes cabbage soft;
• to protect the workpiece from mold, add sour berries (cranberries, lingonberries) or grated horseradish root to it;
• it is better to put a container with pickled vegetables in a deep bowl, since a lot of juice is released during fermentation;
• if the cabbage is too salty, it is washed with water before serving.

Conclusion

It's easy to cook tasty and crispy cabbage, the main thing is to follow simple recommendations, choose suitable vegetables and containers. Additional ingredients are added to the appetizer, depending on taste preferences. Store the finished product in the refrigerator, cellar, on a glazed balcony.