Kraut-chi
Source: Sandor Katz, Sandor Katz and the Tiny Wild
Recipe Type: Appetizers and Sides | Seasons: Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter
This recipe appears in Sandor Katz and the Tiny Wild by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee (Readers to Eaters, 2022) and was demonstrated at the Foodwise Classroom on September 17, 2022.
One fall day, Sandor began to worry about the cabbages in the garden. They were all, ALL, ready to harvest. But no one wanted to eat cabbage for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. How could Sandor keep good cabbage from going to waste? … Sandor mixed cabbage and salt, he spiced it with kimchi dazzle – garlic, ginger, chili – to make super-delicious kraut-chi! Kraut-chi-licious!
Makes 2 pints
INGREDIENTS
1 small head of cabbage, chopped as desired
Small handful of salt
Mix of spices such as fennel seed, peppercorn, coriander seeds, etc
Other flavor additions such as garlic, pepper, ginger, onion, scallion, etc
PREPARATION
CHOP: Place chopped cabbage in a large bowl.
SALT: Add salt to cabbage.
SQUEEZE: Knead and squeeze until cabbage is juicy
PACK: Mix in your favorite spices and flavor additions and pack into jar.
Push mix below juicy brine and cover loosely with a lid. Repeat every day. Look for burps and bubbles to show cabbage fermenting.
WAIT: In a few days, kraut-chi will be ready for enjoying. Add it as a side to any dish (or as a hot dog topping, as pictured above) and share it with your friends!
