Adding a bit of spice to food… okay a LOT of spice is my family’s favorite and we typically eat quite a bit of stir fry in our house which is beautifully topped with fermented Sauerkraut. With seven children and a husband all sharing the same heat-loving palate, I have to dish out gallons of spicy Sauerkraut on a monthly basis. So I created this very simple recipe to meet our family’s needs. You, of course, can adjust the quantity to fit your needs.
A Spicy Sauerkraut Recipe
Ingredients:
- Medium Cabbage – Usually 4-5lbs
- Fermentools’ Himalayan Salt
- Spicy Pepper of choice – You choose the amount as well
- (we prefer jalepenos, habineros, or crushed red pepper flakes)
- Gloves to protect hands from pepper’s oil
The Method:
- Thinly Slice up your cabbage and place it into a large bowl. Sprinkle Himalayan Salt over the cabbage according to the weight of your cabbage and the package directions. Work the cabbage with your hands squeezing it and mixing it until the cabbage is soft and tender and begins to release juices that drip out of your hands with every squeeze. This usually takes about 10 minutes or so.
- Put your plastic gloves on and thinly slice your hot peppers placing them in with the cabbage and simply stir them in. If you do not have plastic gloves, I reccoment using a utensil for the stirring part so your hands aren’t burning for the next day.
- Pack your simple, spicy Sauerkraut into a 1/2 gallon mason jar and pack it down as tightly as you can. You should see the juices from the Sauerkraut rise up and cover the cabbage as you pack it down. If you don’t, fell free to add some non-chlorinated water until the brine (salt water mix) completely covered your cabbage.
- Use the Fermentools’ glass weight to press the cabbage down even further. Assemble your Fermentool’s Airlock System and set your Sauerkraut aside to ferment for 5-30 days. It’s all up to your preference! Give it a taste every so many days.
- When fermenting period is complete and you like how your Sauerkraut tastes. Remove the airlock system from the top of the jar and place your Simple, Spicy Sauerkraut into the refrigerator!
The longer your Sauerkraut sits in the refrigerator, the more flavorful and spicy it will become.
Get creative with how you use your Fermented Simple, Spicy Sauerkraut! Try it:
- Inside your breakfast burrito
- On top of your egg bakes
- On a slice of bread with butter
- As a garnish to your stir fry, or
- As a stand-alone side dish to your meat and potatoes meal!