Recipe - Quick Curtido

If you're alone, it's nice to always have some friendly bacteria pals floating around...

Pupusas, curtido and lime. Photo by Beca B Jones.

Curtido is a cultured slaw, much like sauerkraut or kimchi. It is eaten in Central America and often served with pupusas, as discussed in Episode 3. For reasons that I will get into some other time, ferments are important for our health and I am a firm believer of having a stash of fermented food in the house at all times — they’re often an easy, readymade addition to any meal. Plus, if you’re alone, it’s nice to always have some friendly bacteria pals floating around. You’ll need a few days to get the beneficial gut bacteria in curtido truly kicking, however, I almost always forget to prepare this in advance and end up using this quick recipe which takes about 2 hours rather than a few days. If you are more organised than I am, however, I would recommend fermenting it for at least a couple of days, your gut will thank and reward you for your patience. Makes enough for 3-4 portions and gets better over time, so store for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Time: 5 minutes preparation, between 2 hours - 2 weeks to ferment.

Faff Level: 4/10

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 small carrots, grated

1/2 a spicy chilli, finely chopped

Big handful of roughly chopped herbs — use oregano, mint or coriander, depending what you can get your hands on, or a combination of all three.

1/4 of a small red or white cabbage, grated

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Plant Based Diets: Already ticks the boxes

Directions:

Add all vegetables to a bowl and cover with 2 tbsp of cider vinegar, 1 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of salt. Massage the mix well, making sure to squeeze as much water out of the cabbage as possible. Cover and leave to marinade for a minimum of 2 hours. Technically, this is ready to eat after 2 hours, but ideally it’s best to store it in an airtight jar and keep in the fridge, so that all that friendly bacteria can get to work. Keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. A great addition to sandwiches and salads or as a side.