Red cabbage Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut (shredded raw cabbage fermented under specific conditions) is an Eastern or Central European dish. It is a simple probiotic rich pickle like salad. 

In olden days it started as a way to preserve cabbages that grow abundantly and stock them up for freezing weather conditions.
In USA, we use this in salads, sandwiches and soups. Sometimes it is served as a side dish in Thanksgiving dinners.

Variations:
It should traditionally contain only few ingredients like cabbage and salt.
I have added little vinegar (it slows down fermentation and it is not necessary).
I added vinegar to keep it long and safe. You can feel free to omit vinegar and just use salt to preserve the cabbage (that's the best way to create a probiotic rich sauerkraut).
I have used red cabbage, as I am fascinated by this purple color and by the health benefits. Still feel free to use any cabbage you can get.
I find any kind of pickling as a 'feel good' phase for me and so I do this often :).

Where did I buy these ?

I bought the red cabbage from the nearby Asian grocery store, 'Organic Apple cider vinegar with mother' from Aldi, Sea salt (Chettinad brand) from Indian grocery stores,  32 oz glass Ball jar from Walmart.

Tools I used:
Cuisinart 13 cup food processor - adjustable slicing blade. (Believe me, a food processor makes everything easy 😃)
Or we can use a cutting board and a knife.
A mortar and pestle as weights.
A mixing bowl and a clean glass jar with lid.

Ingredients : Red cabbage , Apple cider vinegar with the 'mother culture', A clean glass jar, sea salt

My hubby presented me in 2017 for Christmas  💕

use the slicing attachment in food processor.

Add salt and mix well.

Or keep it like this.

Transfer everything to a clean dry jar and close well.

Save in fridge or at room temperature. 

A simple salad with onion, purple sauerkraut,  chickpeas , arugula, lettuce and beets pickle.

Ingredients:
Red cabbage - 1 (2 .5 lb)
Sea salt - 1 tbsp
apple cider vinegar - 2tbsp

Method:
Using a cutting board or a food processor (slicing blade) , shred the cabbage into thin slices.
Transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add salt and mix well. Place a weight above the cabbage , so that it releases lot of water and stays inside the water it releases. This is the important phase in preserving the cabbage. Cover it with a thin cloth and let it remain in room temperature for 2 days.
By this time we will notice that the cabbage has shrunk in volume and the amount of juice it is giving out.
Now our Sauerkraut is ready to serve !
At this stage (after 2 days), I have added 2 tbsp 'vinegar with mother' to make sure that it stays safer and I keep it inside fridge for further use. You can feel free to keep it in room temperature too, as that's how everyone is doing globally.

Serving suggestion:

Serve as salad ingredient or sandwich filling or simple side dish or as an ingredient in soups.

This is good for digestive health.

Spicy pink salad

I always have a 'thing' for pink accessories. Beetroot and purple cabbage became my favorites just because they belong to pink family only. Even though purple cabbage looks prettier than the regular cabbage, in my view, it tastes better as salads or coleslaw or sauerkraut only. (While I use regular cabbage only to make Indian curries and stir-fry).  Here I have used English cucumber , as it is more firmer than the cooking variety. English Cucumber are the varieties that wouldn't be given a wax coating for longer shelf life and instead they are sold in a plastic wrap (see images below). But any cucumber will be good for this salad.
Here is a pink salad / pink coleslaw we love very much.

Time required to prepare - 10 minutes; time to refrigerate - 4 hrs (minimum).

Spicy Pink salad

Shredding the cabbage...sooo cute !

English Cucumber are the varieties that wouldn't be given a wax coating for longer shelf life  and instead they are sold in a plastic wrap.

Purple cabbage, English cucumber and lemon.

A simple version with red cabbage and cucumber. 

Colorful salad is ready!

Ingredients:
Red (purple) cabbage - 1 lb
English cucumber - 1/2
red capsicum - 1
lemon - 1
cilantro - few
pink salt- 1/2 tsp
red chili powder - 1/4 tsp
cumin (whole or powder) - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Shred the purple cabbage into small pieces (using a knife or food processor).
Halve the cucumber and Slice the cucumber into small pieces.
Cube the capsicum.
Chop the cilantro.
Put them all together in a wide mixing bowl.
Add pink salt, red chili powder, cumin and mix well.
Squeeze lemon.
Mix well and transfer it to a tight lidded container. Keep in refrigerator for 4 hrs - overnight, so that the cabbage gets little tender.
Pink salad is ready !

Serving suggestion:
Serve cool along with any meal or simply as healthy snack.