Sweet and sour cabbage

Sweet and Sour Boiled Red Cabbage

Recipe Recommendation

Boiled red cabbage is a traditional German side dish. It’s also known as rotkohl. This is a recipe that my Oma passed down to my mom, who passed it down to me. It gets its sweet and sour taste from sugar and vinegar. It is boiled until the cabbage is very soft. There are many variations on this traditional recipe. Some variations include onions, balsamic vinegar, or even apples. I prefer to keep it simple!

Ingredients

  • 4 lb red cabbage (1-2 cabbages)
  • 4-6 tablespoons of olive oil or butter
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup vinegar
  • ½ - 1 cup of sugar (to taste)
  • 2 cups of water 

Directions

  1. Peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage. Keep peeling if they are blemished or dirty until you find a clean layer.
    Chop the cabbage into “strips” that are ¼ to ½ an inch thick.

    Sliced cabbage

  2. Add olive oil or butter to a large pot. Heat on medium high.

    Pour olive oil into pot

  3. Add sliced cabbage to the pot with the oil. Sautée until the cabbage is wilted. If you would like, you can let the cabbage brown a little bit for a “caramelized” flavour. Add a sprinkle of salt.

    Cabbage in pot

  4. Add vinegar to the pot of cabbage.

    Pour vinegar into pot

  5. Stir in ½ cup of sugar.

    Half cup of sugar

  6. Add about 2 cups of water. Don’t completely cover the cabbage with liquid.

    Cabbage in water

  7. Let the cabbage simmer on medium-low heat for at least one hour. Come back and taste it periodically to see if you would like to add more sugar. Add sugar to taste up to 1 cup. Simmer it covered or uncovered depending on how much liquid you would like. Let it simmer uncovered if it seems like there is too much liquid. Check in and cover it once you are happy with the amount of liquid.

    Simmering cabbage

  8. Serve warm or cold with a slotted spoon or a fork. Enjoy!

    Sweet and sour cabbage