Mulgikapsad – the Ultimate Sauerkraut Dish
Main Dish • Grains, Pork, Vegetable
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Ingredients
- 1 small to medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 carrot, shredded, julienned, or simply cut into chunks
- 1 to 1-1/2 lbs green cabbage, thinly sliced
- Pork (or not)*
- 24 oz. (700 g) sauerkraut
- 1 cup barley
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 or 2 bay leaves (optional)
Directions
- The proportions of the ingredients are not really important – you can vary them widely to suit your own taste.
- Sauté the onions lightly. (I usually toss in the carrot and sometimes even the cabbage into the pan at the end, but it’s not necessary.)
- Add the onion and the other ingredients to the slow cooker. They can stay in layers and do not need to be mixed together. The barley goes in last – as a layer on top.
- Add enough water to just cover the barley.
- Cook at a slow simmer. If needed, add a little more water from time to time to keep the barley covered.
- After 2 or 3 hours of simmering, give the ingredients a stir.
- After another hour or two, stir again and taste to check for seasonings. Often the sauerkraut is salty enough, so no more salt is needed. I like a small grind of pepper. The sugar is optional – I prefer a touch of sweetness in the dish.
- Ok. It should be done. The barley cooks into the dish and gives it a nice creaminess. The cabbage cuts the sauerkraut to give it a nice mild flavour.
Notes
- * I usually serve this as a side dish and the meatless version always seems to go over just as well one with meat. It’s not unheard of to make this with chicken or other meats. I like the pork version.
- The easiest is to throw in a couple or three of slices of bacon, cut up. It works well. I have used smoked pork hock (too much trouble for too little benefit) and in my latest stand-alone version I put in about a pound and half of pork roast, cut into cubes and browned.
