A spicy version of the classic condiment.
Ingredients
- 500g red cabbage, shredded. Personally I like it coarsely shredded so I cut it by hand, but you can use a food processor if you prefer it finer (or can’t be bothered 😊)
- 140 g sea salt
- 500 ml red wine or cider vinegar
- 200 ml red wine
- Around 200g sugar: you may like a little less or a little more, but I urge you to put some sugar in otherwise it’s way too tart
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and ever so slightly crushed to release the juice
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp Sichuan pepper
- 2-3 dried red chilis or 1-2 tsp chili flakes
- 5 bay leaves
Method
- Place the shredded cabbage in a colander over the sink and sprinkle with salt. Leave for 2-3 hours, then drain and wash away the salt. Dry with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel. This may seem like a pointless exercise but trust me: the salting is what keeps the cabbage crisp after pickling, so don’t cut corners.
- Next, put the vinegar, wine, sugar, garlic and herbs and spices in a large saucepan and simmer until the mixture has reduced down by about half.
- Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for about 15 minutes. When cool, strain the liquid with a sieve and discard the garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and chilis.
- Put the cabbage in sterilized pickling jars or glass food storage containers (the kind with snap-locking lids), cover with the pickling juice and store in the fridge.
Most people like it with cold cuts or a ploughman’s, but when I make a batch, I have it with pretty much everything: on the side of sandwiches, vegetable gratin, in baked potatoes, etc.
Susan Turbie 
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