Content
It would be historically incorrect to call sauerkraut a truly Russian dish. The Chinese learned to ferment this product long before the Russians. But we have been using it for so long that tasty fermentation has become a national dish. The benefits of it are great, but, unfortunately, not everyone can eat it. The reason for this is the large amount of salt that is used for fermentation. Great way out - Sauerkraut without salt. This product usually contains only cabbage and carrots, sometimes water is added to it. This sauerkraut is prepared without sugar. You can add spices, dill or caraway seeds to it; some use celery juice. There are quite a lot of recipes for such preparations.
The main difficulty when sauerkraut without salt is to protect the product from spoilage. Therefore, vegetables for cooking are not only washed, but also thoroughly dried, and all dishes and knives are scalded with boiling water. If necessary, add water; use only boiled water.
Recipe for fermentation without salt and adding water
This recipe describes classic fermentation, to which nothing except cabbage heads and carrots are added.
For 3 kg of cabbage you will need 0.5 kg of carrots.
We chop the heads of cabbage, place them in a basin, and mash them well.Add grated carrots, mix, place in the container in which the fermentation will take place. Vegetables need to be compacted well.
As soon as the vegetables are completely covered with juice, change the load to a lighter one.
The fermentation process takes place very quickly. After 2-3 days, the cabbage is fermented and ready to eat. It should only be stored in the refrigerator, since fermented in this way can easily spoil.
Pickling without salt with added water
The product prepared according to this recipe is tasty and healthy, but cannot be stored for a long time. Therefore, we won’t ferment it a lot right away.
You only need one carrot for half a head of cabbage. Shred the cabbage not too finely, add grated carrots. There is no need to crush or grind it. Transfer the vegetables to a jar. They should fill it about halfway. Place a cabbage leaf on top, fill it with boiled or filtered water, and place a weight.
You need to carefully monitor the water level and add it if necessary. Vegetables should be completely covered with water. Sauerkraut without salt is ready in 3-4 days. It is transferred to the refrigerator, where it is stored.
Pickling without salt with spices
There aren't even carrots in this recipe, but there are herb seeds and crushed peppercorns. The taste of such sauerkraut will be brighter, and dill, caraway and celery seeds will enrich it with vitamins and beneficial minerals.
To ferment it you will need:
- 4.5 kg of cabbage heads;
- 2 tbsp.spoons of cumin seeds, celery, dill and crushed peppercorns.
Mix the seeds and pepper, crushed in a mortar, with shredded cabbage. Set aside a sixth of it and grind well until the juice comes out. We send the grated vegetable back. Transfer the fermentation into jars, compacting well. We place glass bottles of water on it, which will act as weights. If the fermentation is not covered with juice, add clean water. After 4-5 days, transfer the finished product to the refrigerator.
There are recipes for fermentation, which is carried out in two stages. First, the brine is prepared, and then the cabbage is fermented in it. The brine can be reused many times.
Pickling in brine
First, prepare the brine. To do this, we ferment the cabbage without salt in the usual way. In the future, we will use only the resulting brine from the finished fermentation. To do this you will need:
- 1 medium-sized head of cabbage;
- garlic – 5 cloves;
- a pinch of ground red pepper;
- cumin to taste.
Preparing the brine
Mix shredded cabbage with chopped garlic, pepper, and cumin. We transfer it to a container in which we will ferment it, crush it a little, and fill it with boiled water. We put a load on top and let it ferment for 3-4 days. The fermentation temperature is at least 22 degrees. We have fermented vegetables, of which we will only use brine.
We pour the finished brine into another bowl, straining well, squeeze the fermented vegetables into it and throw it away, it is no longer needed. Next, we ferment another cabbage in the prepared brine.
Pickling
For this you will need:
- ready-made brine;
- cabbage heads;
- carrot.
Shred the heads of cabbage and grate the carrots. Mix the vegetables in the bowl in which we will ferment it.
Vegetables need to be well compacted and filled with prepared brine. Place the lid and weight on top. After 2 days, we pierce the fermentation with a wooden stick and take it out into the cold. The product is ready in another 2-3 days. Once the cabbage is eaten, the brine can be used for a new batch. If it is not enough for a new starter, you can add boiled water.
Heads of cabbage fermented in this way are served with vegetable oil and onions. You can sprinkle the dish with chopped herbs. If it seems too sour, add a little sugar.
Conclusion
Cabbage fermented according to such recipes differs from salted cabbage. It can only be stored in the refrigerator, since the main preservative – salt – is absent in it. It is softer than salty and is not as crispy, but this does not make it any less tasty. But this product can be eaten by almost everyone.
