Prep time: 10 mins
Rest time 2 days to 14 days
Ingredients:
Cabbage 1 cut into thin slices
Salt (weigh your cabbage and use 2% of the total cabbage)
Preparation:
Rinse cabbage in cool water. Remove the coarse outer leaves and discard. Then cut the fresh looking cabbage in thin slices.
In a big bowl add the sliced cabbage and add salt on it. Rub the salt into the cabbage, massage it with firm hands.
Massage it till you get a lot of juice out of the cabbage, it might take a few minutes and a lot of strength. The cabbage will start getting a lettuce like texture.
Take a mason jar and add the cabbage and all of its brine in it. Press the cabbage down with a spoon or tamper so all the cabbage is tightly packed and completely submerged under the water. Cover the mason jar lid with an airtight lid (wth airlock lid so the gases made in the jar can be released outside without bursting the jar) and keep it aside for a few days. Once a few days move the cabbage with a spoon, then again submerge it under its brine and let it ferment. Everytime press the cabbage firmly into the bottom of the jar to remove any air bubbles that may cause your kraut to spoil.
One important step is to cover the brine with a plastic to create an insulation and avoiding direct contact with air.
You need to taste and ferment it to the number of days as per the sourness you like. The longer it rest the sour it becomes. It can get ready in as less as 3 days upto 14 days.