Spiced Red Cabbage Sauerkraut

Our house normally has a steady stream of visitors, but with Covid this was the first lunch with a friend in about three months. It has turned warm and I was planning a chicken curry, so I made a spiced sauerkraut to go alongside it.

Ingredients:

• Red cabbage, 330g (about a quarter of a head)
• Salt6g
• Cumin seed, 1/2 tsp
• Coriander, 20 seeds
• Allspice, 5 berries
• Black peppercorns, 5
• Cardamom, 4 pods

1. Shred the cabbage, sprinkle over the measured salt, and massage it in.

2. Leave it about ten minutes and liquid will come out.

3. Add all the spices whole — do not grind them — to mixture 2.

4. Once combined, transfer it to a jar and put a weight on top. As long as liquid comes up and the cabbage is not exposed above the surface, all is well. If there is too little liquid, add water until the cabbage is properly submerged.

5. Once a day, stir it thoroughly, turning it over. This gets oxygen through the whole thing and keeps fermentation moving.

6. At this time of year the acidity comes through by the second day.

It fermented faster than I expected, so on the second day I moved it from the jar into a container and put it in the fridge.

Sauerkraut made with red cabbage has a lovely colour, and works beautifully as an accompaniment.