Have you tried Rotkohl? This braised German red cabbage is tender, tangy, and absolutely delicious!
So, I mentioned I was going to try to use up the rest of the red cabbage from my Asian Fusion Salad earlier this week. I did it!
Both Michael and I have German heritage. Mine’s paired with Danish and British, and Michael’s is paired with Swiss. While my family sure thinks it’s neat we have German heritage, we haven’t exactly kept it alive (we sort of keep the Danish side alive…).
Michael’s family, on the other hand, has a rich German heritage and his family has very much kept it alive and well. His father and sister lived there for a few years in college and speak German fluently, German words find their way into normal conversations, and almost everyone in the family took German in school at one time or another. We have all sorts of German and Swiss recipes from his side of the family, and there were a few I’d never tried.
Rotkohl was one of them. I used the family recipe, and, while it was cooking, did a little more research on the subject.
As anyone who’s ever eaten some of the more popular German food knows, sauerkraut and other pickled/vinegary foods are quite common. For those who find sauerkraut a little too strong or sour (Heh… accidentally typed ‘sauer’), rotkohl is a sweeter, less pungent alternative.
Basically a sweet-and-sour braised red cabbage, rotkohl (pronounced “rote-coal”) can be made one of two ways. The first is a more vinegary, sauerkraut-ish version, and the second sweetens things and tones down the vinegar with the addition of browned butter. Michael’s family recipe uses browned butter, but I snuck a taste before adding it in, and found I liked it both ways.
We made a whole German meal out of the dish by pairing it with (what else?) grilled sausages and some German potato salad, complete with a warm, vinegary, bacon-infused dressing.
Note on the recipe: the flavor improves with time, so whether or not you add the browned butter, feel free to make it ahead of time and let it rest in the refrigerator. Just bring it to room temperature or warm it up a touch before serving.
Rotkohl (German Red Cabbage)
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: about 6 as a side dish 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Let’s make Rohtkohl! This German braised red cabbage recipe is bright, tangy, and absolutely delicious. Perfect for Oktoberfest or any time!
Ingredients
- 1 head red cabbage, shredded
- 1 apple, grated (you can leave the skin, just remove the seeds)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- pinch cloves
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- *for sweeter version: 4 Tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Combine. Add shredded red cabbage, grated apple, vinegar, water, sugar, pepper, and cloves to a large pot.
- Boil & Cook. Cover the pot with a lid and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cook about 30 minutes or until tender, but still with a small bite.
- Drain & Finish. Use a colander to drain extra liquid from the cabbage. Add in fresh lemon juice and stir to combine.
*If You’re Making The Sweeter Version:
- Brown butter in a small saucepan by cooking it over medium-low heat until foamy and golden.
- Add To Cabbage. Remove from heat and stir into cooked cabbage mixture with the lemon juice.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: German
Does this need to ferment? How long is it good for, in the fridge?
This is not fermented, so you can just store it in the fridge up to about 1 week. 🙂
Excellent recipe. My husband and I love trying different foods from all ethnicities. Made this about a month ago and it was excellent. We were very worried about eating this cabbage dish but were Very surprised of no after effects (if you know what i mean) for either if us. We ate it all week long as an accompaniment to other dishes and it was great. Thank you for the recipe Emily.
Oh, I’m so glad to hear this! It’s one of our family favorites. 🙂
I actually liked this. I’m southern…NC, and have only tried cabbage mushy, stewed with meat. I have never liked it in any form. I dont like southern slaw either. I made this recipe tonight for my son’s Germany foods project. He’s in kindergarten. I cooked brats, shredded potatoe cakes, and an apple strudel too. We all tried everything together as a family and I put on my brave face and took a bite of cabbage. I couldn’t believe I didn’t hate it. I took another bite And I actually LIKE it!!! I ate a 2nd helping! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
YAY!!! I’m SO glad you liked it!!!
Basically this is a good recipe.
Please specify size of cabbage head. I used a medium/large and the recipe did not have enough liquid. Had to make another half recipe of the vinegar/sugar liquid to cook all this cabbage (large Dutch oven filled more than 3/4 full.) I reduced the sugar to a generous 1/3 cup and used brown sugar as recommended by a commentor. Liked the brown butter addition. It helped smooth the sweet/sour tang.
Thank you for the recipe. I was talking with my grandmother earlier about this random cabbage dish she made me when I was little. She couldn’t remember what it’s name was, she’s 92 and her Greman is slipping , and this is what I was looking for! It’s close enough to her discription of the one she would make in Gremany during WW2. I remember hers having bits of beef occasionally (if you care to try).
Oh, I loved reading this! Thank you for sharing.