How to quickly and tasty cook sauerkraut with caraway seeds

To prepare cabbage for the winter, use fresh and healthy heads of cabbage, clean water, seasonings and spices. Cumin is especially popular - a source of B vitamins and ascorbic acid. It is added to marinades and brines; it gives dishes a spicy, rich aroma and bright taste. Cumin seeds should be dry and whole, with a clean smell without foreign impurities.

In this article we will look at how to cook sauerkraut with caraway seeds and find out what recommendations experienced chefs give on this matter.

Choosing cabbage for harvesting

For preparations, choose snow-white heads of cabbage with delicate green leaves. Vegetables should be elastic, without cracks, stains, scabs or other damage. For preparations, mid-early varieties are chosen - Baroque, Start, Vzryv. They have a juicy and sweet taste.

It is recommended to use fresh garden harvest or seasonal vegetables from the market or supermarket for sourdough.

Preparing to cook

The cabbage is inspected and washed under running water, wiped dry. The top layer of leaves is removed, the head of cabbage is cut into 4-6 parts depending on the size. Subsequently, each part is chopped into small or large slices.

All pieces should be the same size - this way the cabbage will be evenly soaked in brine and will be crispy.

Selection of containers

Sauerkraut is fermented in glass jars, enamel buckets, and wooden barrels. The first option is suitable for preparing a small amount of snacks.It is convenient to store jars at home - in the refrigerator or pantry. They must be solid, without chips, otherwise the dish will spoil. The jars are sterilized, the lids are scalded with boiling water, and wiped with a clean towel. Roll up the cabbage with metal, polyethylene or nylon lids.

Enameled buckets, basins or pans are suitable for pickling for a large family. It is important that there are no stains or cracks on the enamel - bacteria dangerous to health accumulate in these places. The dishes are washed and dried.

In wooden tubs or barrels, sauerkraut turns out especially tasty. Wooden walls imbue vegetables with a woody aroma. For pickling, large barrels or small tubs are used; they are washed and placed in fresh air for several days for ventilation. They are suitable for cooking in the country and are convenient to store in the basement.

How to properly cook cabbage with cumin

A tasty and juicy preparation for the winter is consumed as a snack or used as an addition to main dishes: soups, salads, side dishes.

What you need for preparation:

• 1.5 kg cabbage;
• 15 g cumin;
• 250 g carrots;
• 15 g sugar;
• 15 g salt.

Cooking technology:

1. Remove the top leaves from the cabbage and set them aside. Rinse the head of cabbage and remove the stalk, chop it on a medium grater or using a food processor with a special attachment. Transfer to a deep enamel pan.
2. Wash and peel the carrots, chop on a Korean carrot grater. Transfer to a saucepan and stir in cabbage.
3. Add salt and sugar, add cumin. Mix thoroughly, rub lightly with your hands so that the vegetables release their juice.
4. Pack tightly into jars, rinse the remaining whole leaves with boiling water and cover the appetizer with them.Place in a dark, warm place for 3 days.
5. Once a day, pierce the cabbage with a wooden spatula to release air bubbles. Remove the resulting foam with a wooden spoon.
6. Close the lid and put it in the refrigerator. Squeeze lightly, pour over vegetable oil and serve as a side dish for cutlets, potatoes, solyanka.

Recipe Variations

Everyone prepares pickled cabbage differently: some add cranberries to the recipe, others prefer traditional carrots or greens. Let's study popular recipes.

Instant cooking with cumin

The dish is used as a healthy vegetable salad - before serving, it is seasoned with fresh onions.

What you need for preparation:

• 0.5 heads of cabbage;
• 10 g cumin;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 liter of water;
• 20 g salt;
• 30 g sugar;
• 1 bay leaf.

Fermentation process:

1. Wash the cabbage and carrots, chop and mix in a plastic bucket.
2. Prepare the brine: mix water, salt, sugar and cumin, add bay leaf. Boil and cool, pour into a bucket.
3. Cover the cabbage with clean gauze and put it in a dark place for 1 day.
4. Store in the refrigerator, after dividing it into jars.

With added carrots

Carrots add an appetizing yellow-orange color to the dish. Elastic and juicy root vegetables are chosen for harvesting.

You will need:

• 1 kg cabbage;
• 200 g carrots;
• 20 g cumin;
• 50 g salt;
• sugar to taste.

How to cook:

1. Wash the cabbage, remove the top leaves and chop. Peel the carrots and grate on a medium grater.
2. Mix the vegetables in a bowl, season with salt and cumin, add sugar to taste. Knead with your hands and leave for an hour. Mash again and put in a warm place for 4 days.
3. During fermentation, skim off the foam and pierce the cabbage with a wooden spatula. After 4 days, put into jars and roll up, store in the refrigerator.

With cranberries

Bright cranberries saturate the snack with vitamin C and give it a festive look. This dish will decorate any table.

What you need for preparation:

• 1 kg cabbage;
• 30 g cumin;
• 200 g carrots;
• 100 g cranberries;
• 50 g sugar;
• 2 bay leaves.

How to cook:

1. Rinse all ingredients under cold water. Chop the cabbage, chop the carrots.
2. Stir vegetables, add cumin and sugar.
3. Place a layer of cabbage in the pan, add some berries and a bay leaf. Fill the entire pan with these layers.
4. Organize oppression for 5 days and leave it in the kitchen. Store in a saucepan or put into jars and put in the refrigerator.

In its own juice

Simple and quick to prepare, the recipe does not require culinary skills. What is necessary:

• 1.5 kg cabbage;
• 1 carrot;
• 20 g cumin;
• 10 black peppercorns;
• salt to taste;
• 2 bay leaves.

How to cook:

1. Wash the vegetables, chop the cabbage, grate the carrots on a medium grater.
2. Transfer to a bowl and stir, season with salt and cumin, add black pepper and bay leaf.
3. Tamp into a jar and leave in a warm place for three days, regularly piercing with a wooden spatula.
4. Keep refrigerated.

Cabbage recipe in its own juice has several variations of execution. Housewives add fresh apples, bell peppers, dill seeds, and cranberries to the dish to taste.

"In German"

The original recipe for pickling “German style” is famous for its ease of preparation and juicy results.

List of ingredients:

• 1.5 kg cabbage;
• 50 g cumin;
• 400 g carrots;
• 40 g salt;
• 60 g juniper berries;
• 2 apples.

How to cook:

1. Peel the head of cabbage from the top leaves and chop it on the finest grater. Grind the carrots on a grater.
2. Fry the cumin in a dry frying pan - this will give the seasoning a more pronounced aroma.Mash the seeds with a rolling pin until they form a powder.
3. Wash the apples, remove seeds and core.
4. Place cabbage and carrots in a saucepan, sprinkling with juniper, apple slices, cumin and salt.
5. Put under pressure for 2 days. Keep refrigerated.

Terms and conditions of storage

To prevent pickled products from spoiling, store them in a cool, dark place.. A refrigerator, basement or cellar, or a niche under the windowsill in the winter season is suitable for this. The shelf life of sauerkraut is no more than a year; in the pantry it is reduced to 8 months.

It is easy to recognize a spoiled product by its cloudy brine. To extend the shelf life of an already opened jar, add 1 tbsp to the cabbage. l. Sahara. The shelf life in this case is no more than two weeks in the refrigerator.

Advice from experienced housewives

Housewives recommend preparing sauerkraut for future use. To do this, purchase the necessary ingredients in advance, study recipe and check the expiration date of products. Cabbage combines harmoniously with herbs, black pepper, and bay leaves—cooks advise boldly adding them to preparations.

To prepare the brine, use clean well or purchased water - the taste and benefits of the dish depend on this. Running tap water is not suitable. Use coarse salt; fine salt dissolves quickly and does not saturate the dish.

Attention! Some of the cooked cabbage is frozen in the freezer and added to soup or side dish. Frozen cabbage should not be consumed fresh.

Reviews

The whole family will love salted cabbage. It delights with its taste and crunch, juiciness and sweet and sour aroma.

Marina, Moscow region: «Every year I prepare a classic cabbage appetizer with caraway seeds in liter jars. I eat it with boiled potatoes - it turns out very tasty.The dish has a pleasant sweet and sour taste and caraway aroma. I freeze some of it and add it to cabbage soup.”

Olga, Krasnodar: “I like the combination of carrots and cabbage. I especially love the recipe with cranberries and caraway seeds - the preparations turn out very beautiful and elegant. Use fresh or frozen cranberries and the results are equally delicious. It’s not a shame to serve such a dish to guests.”

Pavel, Ufa: “I cooked cabbage “German style” last season. The taste was too sour, although I followed the entire recipe. Another thing is our classic recipe. It’s easy to prepare, can be stored for a long time and goes well with any dish.”

Conclusion

Cabbage with cumin is a flavorful and healthy pickled appetizer. The ingredients retain their benefits thanks to lactic acid, which is formed during the fermentation process. The blanks are placed in a container and put away in a dark place, pierced with a wooden spatula and removing the foam. Afterwards, the vegetables are transferred to jars and put in the refrigerator. Black pepper is added to the cabbage for piquancy, and cranberries are added for sourness.

To taste, before serving, the dish is poured with vegetable oil or decorated with fresh herbs.