Garlic Ginger Healthy Red Cabbage Recipe (Easy Instant Pot Side Dish) (2024)

FAQs

Why add vinegar to red cabbage? ›

Lock in the colour by adding a touch of vinegar when cooking red cabbage in water. This stops the lovely deep purple hue from running. Don't be too heavy-handed with red cabbage. A lot of its frumpy reputation comes from it being over-pickled or boiled for an eon.

Sautéed red cabbage is a versatile side dish you can serve with a variety of main dishes including pork chops, sausages (especially smoked sausages), roast pork, roast chicken, duck, lentils, beans, and chickpeas. Also, try it with a boldly flavored fish such as salmon.

Red cabbages can be stored in a cool, dark place for a week to ten days. Before cooking, remove any tired or discoloured leaves and always cook red cabbage with a little vinegar. This preserves the beautiful purple colour – without it, the cabbage will turn blue!

What are the best ways to eat red cabbage? You can thinly slice a head of cabbage and keep it raw for salads and slaws. Cabbage is also wonderful roasted, braised or sauteed.

Substances such as lemon juice and vinegar turn the cabbage juice red because they are acidic. Ammonia turns the cabbage juice into a blue/green color because it is a base, a material that tastes bitter and makes an acid neutral. Water does nothing, as it is a neutral.

Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water. This also helps cut the pungent edge. Drain well before combining with other ingredients.

Diets high in anthocyanins, like those found in red cabbage, are linked with lower blood pressure. They're also linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease. Brain protection.

The color of the cabbage indicator will change to red or pink if the solution is an acid and it will change to green or yellow if it is a base. It will remain purple or blue if the test solution is neutral.

Braised red cabbage is a delicious accompaniment to the gamey flavour of a slow reared breed of turkey at Christmas, but it could also be served with beef, belly pork, duck or other game such as venison grouse, or wood pigeon. The health benefits of eating red cabbage are quite extraordinary.

By itself, the cabbage liquid is a pretty purple color. Acidic vinegar turns the dye pink, while adding alkaline baking soda turns the dye a blue color. If enough baking soda is added, the blue dye will dry a greenish color.

Why did my red cabbage turn blue when I cooked it? ›

The compounds that give fruits and vegetables their red color are very sensitive to acidity. As long as they are acidic they stay red, but when they become non-acidic they turn blue. When you sauté red cabbage, the acids evaporate off and it can turn blue.

I prefer to keep it simple – fresh lemon juice does the job just as well. Add a little salt and the two combine to help draw out some of the fluid and bitterness, making the cabbage slightly softer and easy one the palate.

Although you get different nutrients if you cook or ferment it, raw red cabbage in particular might give you the best nutritional boost per serving. Slice it very thinly and leave it for about 10 minutes to help bring out the fullest, most complex flavors. Then add it to salads or sandwiches or turn it into coleslaw.

Green is the heartiest variety; it takes well to all cooking methods. Red can turn a funny blue color when cooked, so it's best used raw. If you do want to cook it, add a touch of acid like lemon juice or vinegar to lessen the effect. Savoy can be used in any recipe that calls for green cabbage.

It's great with a vinegar- or mayo-based dressings, so a red cabbage slaw pairs well with anything from chicken wings to fish tacos. We even like it all on its own (well, plus sweet and sour sauce).

The cabbage juice is called an indicator because it can tell you the pH of a solution based on the color that it changes. The vinegar will turn the cabbage juice red because it is an acid (acetic acid). The baking soda will turn the cabbage juice greenish-yellow because it is a base (sodium bicarbonate).

One way to make raw cabbage less bitter, and therefore more palatable, is to let it marinate in something salty or acidic for a while. Sauerkraut for example tastes much less bitter, plus contains helpful friendly bacteria from natural fermentation, but it takes a while to make.

Health benefits of red cabbage

2,3 Additionally, red cabbage also contains high amounts of vitamin C and vitamin K. 3 Together, these two nutrients assist with skin health, wound healing, blood clotting and bone health! 4,5 This pickled red cabbage packs a punch in both flavor and nutrition.

The color of the cabbage indicator will change to red or pink if the solution is an acid and it will change to green or yellow if it is a base. It will remain purple or blue if the test solution is neutral.