Essentially a simplified sauerkraut and a very light pickle. Use good-quality soy sauce and serve this as a side dish with Japanese or other Asian food. Do not try to make this in very hot weather; fifty or sixty degrees is ideal. Other vegetables you can prepare this way: any mixture of vegetables, as in the variation.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 10 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Trim the cabbage of hard parts and discard any discolored leaves; chop the rest into pieces no bigger than 2 inches along any dimension. Toss in a nonmetal bowl with the salt and chile.
Step 2
Cover with plastic wrap and a plate that will fit inside the bowl; weight the plate as well as you can with cans, a rock, or a resealable plastic bag filled with water. Let sit, unrefrigerated, for a day or longer, tossing the cabbage occasionally and draining liquid as it accumulates.With each passing day, the cabbage will become softer and more translucent; you can eat it at any stage. When it reaches the stage you like, refrigerate. Serve as a small side dish, with or without soy sauce.
Mixed Pickled Vegetables
Step 3
You can treat an assortment of vegetables the same way. Combine, for example, thinly sliced cucumbers, thinly sliced carrots, and peeled and thinly sliced turnips. Eggplant, onion, and radish (especially daikon), all peeled and thinly sliced, are also good. You can also add trimmed and chopped scallions, peeled and thinly sliced garlic, and/or a few slices of peeled fresh ginger to the mix.
