Cooking technology and best recipes for sauerkraut with sugar

Sauerkraut is a simple and healthy preparation for the winter, as well as a simple and reliable way to store vegetables for a long time. One of the most favorite methods of sauerkraut in Russia is a recipe with sugar. It does not provide for culinary delights or the presence of a large number of expensive products.

In this article we will tell you how to properly ferment cabbage with sugar, how to store and use it.

Vegetable selection and preparation

Cabbage for fermentation is bought in the fall, when late varieties suitable for pickling ripen in sufficient quantities and are inexpensive. Early varieties are used for making salads: they are green, soft and do not ferment well due to their specific chemical composition. The young vegetable becomes even softer from brine and begins to rot.

Advice. It is recommended to check the forks for deformation. If, after squeezing the head of cabbage in your hands, it loses its shape, it means it is spoiled or is not suitable for pickling according to the variety.

The fork should not have rotten or frozen leaves, as well as traces of pests that feed on greenery. The stalk of a vegetable suitable for fermenting for the winter is light, without spots or rings, which indicate the beginning of putrefactive processes in the stalk.

Before canning, the cabbage is washed in cold water, excess leaves are torn off, and stalks that are too long are cut off.

Why is sugar added?

Cooks who are not familiar with the recipe for preserving with sugar have a question: why do they add it and is it worth adding sugar when salting at all? Granulated sugar is a water absorbent.In other words, it draws water out of cells. Sugar added to chopped vegetables speeds up the juice release process.

In addition, the classic recipe with sugar is a recipe for a sweetish preparation. This option is suitable for those who do not like too sour taste.

How to ferment cabbage with sugar correctly

Cabbage with sugar is fermented for only four days. The preparation turns out sweet and sour and crispy.

Ingredients:

• cabbage - 1 pc.;
• carrots - 2 pcs.;
• water - 1 l;
• sugar - 0.5 cups;
• salt - 2 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. The cabbage is peeled, cut into four parts, and the stalks are cut out.
2. Peeled vegetables are finely chopped.
3. Peel and wash the carrots.
4. Grate carrots on a coarse grater.
5. Mix vegetables and salt.
6. Place the future workpiece in a container, do not compact it.
7. Pour cold boiled water over the vegetables 5 cm above the level of the preparation.
8. The container is left for 2-3 days at room temperature.
9. Twice a day, pierce the workpiece with a stick to release the gas.
10. After 2-3 days, drain the juice from the cabbage.
11. Sugar is dissolved in the drained juice and poured back into the jar.
12. Place the workpiece in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours.

Recipe Variations

In Russian cuisine there are many recipes for sauerkraut with sugar, for example, a quick recipe that can be served in 2-3 hours.

Ingredients:

• cabbage - 3 kg;
• carrots - 3-4 pcs.;
• garlic - 4 cloves;
• water - 1.5 l;
• sugar - 200 g;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l.;
• vegetable oil - 200 g;
• vinegar 9% - 200 g.

Preparation:

1. Cabbage can be chopped in any way.
2. Grate carrots and garlic.
3. Vegetables are placed in deep containers
4. The hot marinade is poured into the container.
5. Cover with a lid and leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours.

Marinade:

1. Salt, sugar and vegetable oil are dissolved in water.
2. After the water boils, add vinegar.
3. Boil for 2 minutes.

With cranberries, rowan and apples

A tasty and beautiful preparation is obtained if you add bright rowan berries and apple slices to it.

Ingredients:

• cabbage - 3 kg;
• carrots (medium-large) - 3 pcs.;
• cranberry - 150 g;
• red rowan - 150 g;
• apple (Simirenko, Antonovka) - 2 pcs.;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. The cabbage is chopped, ground with salt,
2. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater and mix with cabbage.
3. The workpiece is compacted into enamel or glass containers - in layers, with cranberries, rowan berries and apples, cut into slices.
4. They are placed under oppression for 3 days.
5. Once a day, remove the pressure and pierce it with a stick to the bottom so that the gas comes out.
6. After three days, the cabbage is laid out in jars, compacted and filled with brine, which remains in a common container.

With horseradish and pepper

We offer a recipe for a savory preparation with spicy notes and a slight bitterness.

Ingredients:

• cabbage - 2.5 kg;
• Bulgarian pepper - 5 pieces.;
• garlic - 2 pcs.;
• horseradish - 200 g;
• carrots - 2 pcs.;
• vinegar 9% - 1/2 cup;
• sugar - 1/2 cup;
• salt - 2 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. The cabbage is chopped.
2. Peppers are cut into strips.
3. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
4. Garlic is squeezed through a garlic press.
5. Horseradish is grated on a fine grater.
6. Place everything in a large container.
7. Add salt, sugar, vinegar and mix.
8. They put it in the cold.
9. In a day the workpiece is ready.

With sugar, hot pepper and herbs

The spicy preparation will appeal to lovers of rich flavors. This appetizer combines the spiciness of herbs, the richness of the taste of hot pepper and the acidity of the cabbage itself.

Ingredients:

• cabbage - 10 kg;
• carrots - 500 g;
• hot pepper (chili) - 2 pods;
• garlic - 4 heads;
• granulated sugar - 800 g;
• salt - 400 g;
• water - 9 l;
• parsley - a bunch;
• cumin - 1 pinch.

Preparation:

1. Cut off the stalks.
2. Cut the cabbage into large pieces.
3. The water is boiled and salted.
4. The cabbage is placed in a container and filled with salt water.
5. Place under pressure for 4 days.
6. Then the cabbage is taken out and finely chopped.
7. Peel the carrots and grate them on a coarse grater.
8. The garlic is peeled and passed through a garlic press.
9. The chili peppers are washed and chopped.
10. Cabbage is placed at the bottom of the container, then carrots, garlic, hot pepper, a pinch of cumin and parsley.
11. The cabbage brine is boiled and cooled.
12. Pour the brine over the vegetables and leave under pressure for 2 days.
13. Add sugar, stir and place in jars.
14. Store in the refrigerator.

The vegetable, pickled with sugar, is often used in Russian cuisine. The salad is put into baked goods, it is used to stuff fish, cabbage soup, borscht, and lean soups. The preparation includes recipes for pork, veal, and lamb dishes.

The preparation is placed in vegetable stews and salads, it is served as an appetizer with strong alcohol, seasoned with unrefined sunflower oil and onions or feathers, garnished with grapes, berries, nuts, and herbs.

The brine in which the product is stored is used to cure a hangover - it restores the water-salt balance in the body.

Terms and conditions of storage

The fermented product with sugar is kept all winter at a temperature of +1...+4°C. If the temperature is maintained, the product can be stored for eight months. At room temperature, the workpiece oxidizes within three days. You can freeze the product and store it for up to a year. But this method destroys vitamin C, which is contained in the vegetable.

It is not recommended to store pickled preparations. pierce it to remove excess gases. It is important to ensure that vegetables are always hidden under the marinade.

Cabbage sauerkraut with sugar is most often stored in glass jars or plastic food containers.

Advice from experienced housewives

We offer several interesting life hacks related to cabbage sauerkraut with sugar.

Elina, Dmitrov: “I love cabbage with sugar and ferment it every year at the end of October. A very tasty recipe with Korean carrots: even at the chopping stage, I add Korean carrots to it; I buy them at a Korean salad store, although you can cook it yourself. The cabbage turns out to be very spicy.”

Lena, Mozdok: “For myself, I found an excellent option for storing cabbage - I put it in flat square plastic boxes with lids with snaps. I don’t like glass containers - they are heavy and it’s difficult to get salad out of them. I marinate it with sugar and without vinegar, so I’m not afraid that something will come out of the plastic under the influence of aggressive substances.”

Maria, Korolev: “My husband and I always prepare a lot of cabbage in the fall. Cook with sugar and store in the refrigerator. We eat it in different forms; in winter we really need vitamins - we get them from sauerkraut. I have a favorite recipe with a salad - I stuff river fish with it and raw fish roe, I bake it and get a wonderful 2 in 1 dish - both a vegetable side dish and fish.”

Conclusion

Sauerkraut is a tasty and healthy dish. In this form, the workpiece is stored for up to eight months at temperatures up to +4°C. You should not freeze the salad, as it loses valuable ascorbic acid.

Store the product in any container convenient and suitable for storing food: glass jars, plastic containers and other containers. Recipe variations with sugar quite a lot: you can add berries, spices, fruits and vegetables to the preparation.