Great recipes for fermented vegetables for meat and other occasions. Get inspired!

Are you looking for recipes for fermented vegetables to serve to your guests at a home barbecue?

Get inspired in our article and try one of our carefully selected delicacies.

It depends only on you, which types you prefer and which delicacy you end up falling in love with, but believe me, there is definitely a lot to choose from. After all, have you ever tasted kimchi?

Simple fermented vegetables

If you want to do something for your health, prepare this snack that will take only a fraction of your time, but will bring a lot of positives. By the way, do not hesitate to view the recipes for spring salads , which are definitely worth your attention.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of carrots
• 250 g of bean pods
• 7 cloves of garlic
• 300 g of cauliflower
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (you can also use red pepper)
• 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of sea salt
• 1 liter of water

Method:

• Clean the vegetables and cut them to your liking.
• Mix the salt in the water and put the peeled garlic in the bottom of the prepared clean bottle.
• Sprinkle ground black pepper on top of the garlic and start layering the different types of vegetables on a rotating plate.
• When the glass is full, fill it up to the neck with salted water.
• Using a plastic spatula or a stick, we go around the inner circumference of the glass, thereby releasing air bubbles.
• We ideally close the jar with a lid with a spring so that the vegetables are really submerged, or use a waterproof weight and a classic lid if we don’t have one with a spring.
• Let it ferment at a room temperature of about 19 – 21 degrees for 5 days.
• Then we taste if we like the taste and texture.
• When it is to our liking, we move the jar/container to the refrigerator and continue to store it in the cold.
• The taste will evolve and change every day.

Vegetables fermented with salt and water

Fermentation is a popular method of processing various fruits from the garden, as the resulting dish is rich in probiotics. Although we can come across a lot of products of this kind in stores, there is nothing better than homemade.

Ingredients:

• 250 g of carrots
• 1 bunch of sliced radishes
• 8 pickled cucumbers
• 1 liter of water
• 3 tablespoons of fine sea salt
• 3 – 6 cloves of garlic
• 2 – 3 sprigs of fresh dill

Method:

• Before we start loading the vegetables, it is a good idea to put the jars in a large pot of water and let them boil for at least 10 minutes.
• Then take the glasses out and let them cool on a towel.
• Put a liter of water, salt and bring to a boil in a small pot. As soon as the water starts bubbling, turn it off and let it cool.
• Clean the vegetables, cut carrots and pickles into long quarters, radishes with garlic into slices.
• Put pieces of garlic and dill on the bottom of the glasses.
• Fill one glass with carrots, another with pickles and the third with radishes.
• Pour salted water so that all the vegetables are completely covered.
• Cover and leave to ferment at room temperature for 7 to 14 days. It is important that it is a room where the temperature is constant, i.e. that it is not cold for a while and very hot again after a while.

Lacto-fermented mixture

Fermented vegetables are a treasure for our body because they help us maintain healthy bacteria in our intestines. Thanks to its consumption, we also strengthen immunity.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of sea salt
• 1 liter of water
• 150 g of cauliflower
• 200 g of carrots
• 1 large red pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 – 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method:

• Mix the water with the salt in a measuring cup or perhaps a jug so that it dissolves completely.
• Clean the vegetables, cut the carrot into strips, the pepper into larger cubes and the cauliflower into florets.
• Prepare a large container, ideally ceramic, and put all the vegetables in it.
• Cover with salt water so that it is completely submerged. If the vegetables are mushy, add more water.
• Knock with a small bowl, which will push the vegetables below the surface.
• We carefully knock it down and let it work in a permanent place at room temperature.
• About once every two days, we open the container and let the gases that are produced during fermentation be released, and we taste how we like their taste.
• If we have a container that is intended for fermenting vegetables, we simply put everything there, pour water and let it ferment for about 7 days at room temperature.
• When the taste suits us, we can transfer it to another container and store it in the refrigerator, where fermentation will continue, only at a slower pace.

Fermented pieces of vegetables

This simple recipe will help you conjure up a delicious and above all healthy delicacy loaded with probiotics.

This version is a little hotter thanks to the chili peppers, but it’s definitely worth it. Load yourself with a good portion, for example, with a piece of meat in the form of a steak.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of Himalayan salt (if we don’t have it, we will replace it with sea salt)
• 1 liter of water
• 250 g of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 8 radishes cut into quarters
• 3 carrots into strips
• 150 g of green beans
• 12 cloves of peeled garlic
• 5 long green chillies (optionally red)
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper balls

Method:

• Mix Himalayan salt with water in a measuring cup. Stir until the salt dissolves. It is important that the water is at room temperature.
• Place all the vegetables in a large glass, sprinkle with black pepper balls and cover with prepared water and salt.
• Close the container carefully and let it stand at room temperature in a permanent place.
• This way the vegetables will ferment for 3 days.
• If mold forms on top, there is no need to panic, we will simply remove it.
• After three days, we taste it, and if we don’t like it, we can leave it to ferment for another day or two.
• Then we store the vegetables in the refrigerator, where they will last for a month or more.

Fermented jalapeño peppers

This vegetable will make you salivate as soon as you prepare it. Garlic and salt brine can work wonders. It will be a great side dish to grilled or roasted meat.

Ingredients:

• 250 g jalapeños, cut into long quarters
• 6 cloves of garlic cut into slices
• 2 tablespoons of finely ground salt
• 4 cups of water

Method:

• Place the peppers in a large, clean jar, add the garlic and place a weight to keep the peppers submerged.
• Mix the salt in the water to prepare the so-called brine.
• Pour the salt solution over the peppers and seal the container sufficiently.
• We put it in a place with constant room temperature and let it ferment for 1 month.
• During the fermentation, we can occasionally check and if we are satisfied with their acidity earlier, then they can easily start to be consumed even earlier.
• Then all you have to do is transfer the jar to the fridge and use it within 6 months.

Sichuan Fermented Vegetables

The Szechuan fermented mixture is perfectly crunchy, pleasantly refreshing, and just the right amount of sourness. In addition, it is filled with live bacteria, which we simply cannot find in a classic pickled mixture.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon Szechuan pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds
• 2 red chili peppers
• 5 slices of ginger
• 3 – 4 cups of water
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 stalk of celery stalks
• 2 leaves of Chinese cabbage
• 3 carrots

Method:

• Clean the jar and the lid and weight, possibly the spring cap, with soapy water and then rinse under a running stream of cold water.
• Cut the cabbage into wider strips, leave the peppers whole, cut the stalked celery and carrots into pieces and gradually pile everything into the glass so that the cabbage leaves remain on top.
• Sprinkle with pepper, fennel seeds and add slices of ginger.
• Finally, pour water in which salt is mixed. We can boil it so that the salt dissolves better, but it is not necessary.
• The vegetables must be completely submerged. Then cover the jar and put it in a place with a constant room temperature so that the vegetables can ferment.
• For example, 2 days of fermentation is enough for cabbage, but celery and carrots will welcome 5 days of fermentation.
• After 5 days, transfer the jar to the refrigerator.
• If we want to keep the pickle active, we add fresh vegetables to it and let the bacteria work again.

Fermented cabbage

Although this is in a way only a basic recipe for preparing cabbage, this method can be used for any type of vegetable that has a higher water content.

It is perfect not only for cabbage, but also for zucchini and other vegetables. Someone even prepares fruit this way.

Ingredients:

• 2.3 kg of red or white cabbage
• 3 tablespoons of salt
• 1 tablespoon of whole cumin
• 1 tablespoon of juniper balls (if you don’t like it, you can leave it out)

Method:

• We remove the outer leaves and the pulp and set a few leaves aside, but before that we remove the hard parts and cut them into quarters.
• We cut the head into smaller parts to make it easier to grate.
• We get rid of the white core and grate each quarter of the cabbage into a large bowl.
• Sprinkle with salt, cumin and juniper berries, mix, squeeze lightly and let stand for 15 minutes.
• Then prepare clean glasses and divide the cabbage into them.
• We press the cabbage thoroughly into the glasses with our fingers and fist so that it is immersed in its own juice.
• On top, we put the pieces of leaves that we set aside earlier.
• Cover the cabbage with a plastic bag filled with water.
• We then put a clean piece of cloth over it and seal the jar with a rubber band.
• We put the containers in a place where there is no direct sunlight and there is a constant room temperature.
• Let it ferment for at least 10 days, continuously checking whether the cabbage is still submerged.
• After 10 days, we taste the cabbage and if we still don’t think its acidity is sufficient, we let it ferment for another 2 to 4 days.
• When the taste is right, we transfer the jars to the refrigerator, where we can store them for up to 6 months.

Kimchi

This well-known Korean delicacy is basically the BEST fermented vegetable ever. It is an extremely tasty and healthy Korean salad packed with a lot of useful properties that support, for example, the digestive system, but also the heart.

Ingredients:

• 1 large Chinese cabbage or 2 smaller ones (at least 2.5 – 2.8 kg)
• 1 cup Korean coarse sea salt for kimchi
• 5 cups of water
• 600 g Korean radishes
• 4 shallots
• 1 piece of Dashima – dried seaweed (boil for 5 minutes in 1 and 1/2 cups of water)
• 1 tablespoon glutinous rice powder (cook on low heat in 1/2 cup water until stiff, then let cool)
• 1/2 cup Korean red chili flakes (Gochugaru)
• 1/4 cup finely minced salted shrimp
• 3 spoons of fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup dashima broth

Method:

• Divide the cabbage into quarters and cut off the stem. Pour water and 1/2 cup Korean salt into a large bowl. Mix and thoroughly soak all pieces of cabbage in the resulting salt solution.
• Shake lightly so that excess water drips off and set aside in another bowl. With the other half of the salt, thoroughly salt all the cabbage quarters from the outer leaf to the middle.
• If the salt does not work for us, we can add more, especially everything must be well salted.
• When it is salted, cover the cabbage with salt water from the first bowl, cover and let it rest for 8 hours, turning the cabbage in the bowl every 2 hours.
• After 8 hours, the cabbage will be nicely flexible, so we gradually remove it from the bowl and rinse it carefully under running water, at least three times in a row.
• Add garlic, ginger, minced shrimp, red chili peppers, fish sauce, sesame seeds, dashima broth and rice paste to a bowl.
• Grind everything thoroughly with a wooden spoon and stir until everything is combined and the pepper flakes dissolve to form a smooth paste.
• Cut the radish into strips, the shallot into 1 cm pieces and put both in a bowl, where we also add the spice paste.
• If the paste is too salty, add more salt, fish sauce or more salty shrimp.
• Cut off the hard part of the cabbage and spread the mixture of spices and radishes on all the quarters so that it also gets between the leaves. It is good to divide the paste into 4 parts for each quarter if we only have 4.
• Wrap the cabbage towards the stem with the largest leaf and place the cut side in an airtight container.
• When all parts of the cabbage are in the container, squeeze everything to release the air. Rinse the bowl with the paste with a cup of water and pour it over the cabbage.
• Let it ferment for about 2 days at room temperature. During hot summer days, 1 day or even half a day is enough. Then we just store the finished kimchi in the fridge.

Watch the instructional video on how to prepare kimchi.

How Kimchi Is Made

Why eat fermented vegetables?

Pickles, as these vegetables are also called, help keep our intestinal microflora in good condition. It is a simple, cheap and extremely useful way of preserving various types of vegetables.

There is no harm in stocking up, especially for the winter season. After all, it is an ideal substitute for fresh vegetables during the winter, and it is also rich in minerals, vitamins, enzymes and probiotics.

Not only do we strengthen our immunity by consuming it, but we also maintain healthy intestines and proper digestion, at the same time, it is easier to eliminate unwanted toxins from the body, as well as ward off fatigue or reduce pressure.

What types of vegetables are suitable for fermentation?

• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Onion
• Beetroot
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Radishes
• Cucumbers

The fermentation process in action:

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