Delicious sauerkraut recipes without added sugar

Lack of sun, fresh vegetables, fruits and berries in winter often leads to vitamin deficiency. A simple way to provide the body with useful compounds - sauerkraut. It contains vitamins, macro- and microelements. There are several ways to prepare a nutritious snack.

In this article we will tell you about the best recipes sauerkraut without sugar.

Features of sauerkraut

When fermenting cabbage for the winter without sugar, lactic acid acts as a preservative. It is formed during the fermentation process. Lactic acid helps preserve crunchiness and vitamins, and also imbues cabbage with a sweet-sour, spicy aroma.

There is no vinegar in the recipes, so the taste of the dishes is more delicate.

What are the benefits of sugar-free sourdough

Often There is no salt in the sugar-free recipe. This type of sourdough has two main advantages.

1. Firstly, sugar adds extra pounds. Its absence makes this tasty snack dietary.
2. Secondly, salt tends to retain fluid in the body. Thus, without these two ingredients, the beneficial properties of the vegetable increase.

Subtleties of fermentation

To make the snack tasty and healthy, it is important to follow some simple rules:

1. Choose the right head of cabbage. Mid- and late-ripening varieties and hybrids are best suited for these purposes. For example, Slava, Atria-F1, Kupchikha, Podarok, Dobrovodskaya.
2. Do not use an aluminum container.Choose only enamel, wood or glassware.
3. Do not cut the cabbage too thin.
4. If you choose to add salt to your ingredients, do not use iodized salt. Take coarse salt.
5. Do not freeze cabbage or sourdough more than once.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

To ensure that sauerkraut retains its properties for as long as possible, choose the right vegetable.

1. Pay attention to appearance: cabbage should be fresh with elastic leaves of white-green color.
2. Limp and unsightly vegetables with black and brown spots are not suitable for fermentation.
3. The head of cabbage should be heavy but compact.

Fresh, clean water is used for fermentation. A spring or well is ideal. If you don't have one, use bottled or filtered water.

Important! The fermentation processes and shelf life of the snack directly depend on the quality of water.

Preparing the container

Residents of private houses often ferment cabbage in large wooden barrels - this snack will last until next year. City housewives prefer jars (three-liter) or enamel buckets.

Before the procedure, the selected container is thoroughly washed and sterilized.

Be sure to make sure that the container, be it a glass jar, a wooden barrel, an enamel bucket or a saucepan, does not have cracks or chips - the presence of damage will significantly reduce the shelf life of the finished product.

The best sourdough recipes without sugar

There are several basic recipes for fermenting cabbage without sugar.

In its own juice

It is recommended to prepare this snack in wooden barrels or tubs. The contents will become saturated with woody aroma and become crispier. Barrels are stored in basements or cellars.

Ingredients:

• 800-900 g cabbage;
• 200-250 g carrots.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Finely chop the head of cabbage and remember with your hands.
2. Wash, peel and chop the carrots. Mix with cabbage and mix with your hands again.
3. Place the mixture in a deep container and compact thoroughly. When the container is full, press down the contents with a wooden spatula.
4. Leave for four days at room temperature, regularly piercing the ingredients with a wooden stick.
5. Cover with a nylon lid and place in the refrigerator.

Classic recipe

Pickled cabbage is served slightly chilled. You can combine the dish with fried potatoes, a vegetable side dish, pilaf or dumplings.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg of fresh cabbage;
• 0.5 l of water;
• 300 g carrots.

Cooking method:

1. Grind the cabbage or cut it into thin strips.
2. Chop the carrots and mix with the cabbage in a deep container.
3. Mix the mixture with your hands. The main thing is not to press too hard, otherwise the vegetables will lose their juice and become soft.
4. Wash the jar and transfer the ingredients into it. Fill with cold water to the top.
5. Poke the contents with a wooden stick in different places to release gases.
6. Cover with a clean cloth or towel and place a nylon lid on top.
7. Let it brew for 3 days, regularly (1-2 times a day) repeating the procedure with a wooden stick.
8. Close the jar tightly with a lid and store in the refrigerator.

With beets in brine without vinegar

A popular winter snack that retains its rich taste and benefits all year round.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg cabbage;
• 180 ml water;
• 350-400 g beets (variety Detroit or Marusya).

Cooking method:

1. Wash the head of cabbage and remove the top leaves.
2. Chop the vegetable into 1 by 1 cm squares.
3. Wash, peel and cut off the tail of the beets.Grate it.
4. Place the vegetables in an enamel container, add water and stir gently with your hands.
5. Leave the mixture for two days at room temperature. Once a day, pierce the contents with a wooden stick.
6. Place the ingredients in a previously prepared glass jar and keep it for a couple of days, covering it with a lid.
7. Close the container with a nylon lid and store it in the cellar or refrigerator.

Spiced

A variety of spices are often used for fermentation - it all depends on your personal preferences.

The standard recipe includes the following ingredients:

• 1.3 kg cabbage
• 400-500 g carrots;
• 5 bay leaves;
• 30 g cumin;
• 20-25 g ground coriander;
• 5-6 peas of allspice;
• black pepper to taste.

Homemade recipe without sugar:

1. Wash, peel the head of cabbage and remove the top leaves with the stalk. Chop finely.
2. Peel and grate the carrots. Mix with cabbage and add spices: pepper, cumin, coriander. Stir.
3. Place several whole cabbage leaves on the bottom of a container (pan or enamel bucket).
4. Place the prepared mass on top and compact tightly. Place a weight on top so that the liquid comes out (for example, a basin).
5. Cover the container with a lid and put it in a warm place for seven days.
6. Divide the mixture into jars and store in the refrigerator.

Features of storage in a house or apartment

Sauerkraut is stored at temperatures from 0 to +4°C. If the indicators are higher, the fermentation is more intense and the mass becomes acidic; if the indicators are lower, the taste will be bland.

The starter is stored in a basement or cellar where the air humidity does not exceed 85%. At home, cabbage is stored in the refrigerator.

Shelf life

The shelf life of fermented snacks is up to 12 months.If you open the jar, it is recommended to eat the contents within a week.

Conclusion

Sauerkraut without sugar - a healthy and dietary snack, which is used both as a stand-alone salad and as an ingredient for other dishes. Cabbage, salted in a jar or fermented in an enamel container, retains its benefits for up to a year.

This preparation has a bright, rich taste, replenishes the deficiency of vitamins and microelements in winter and early spring.