Curtido!

Need some input! So first I bought some pork on sale, ground it, made some meatballs, had some ground pork leftover.

So then I made goyza, shred some cabbage, had some shredded cabbage left over.

So now I’m making curtido. I love spicy slaw with savory ingredients. My first time was in a Haitian restaurant, with meatballs, on Linden Boulevard in Queens, with my future husband!

El Salvador,s

So I’m looking for a recipe that will last awhile, has heat and crunch, and not something that leaves me with something ELSE left over that I will have to bug you in folks about.

Found three or so versions so far; one BIG difference is whether they include oil or not.
Chowhound discussion


Peruvian-style-coleslaw

Quick Curtido

Salvadoran Cabbage Relis

Spicy Curtido (Mexican)

Any tried one of these? Lessons learned?

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Ok, all of these look on target. I use the mason jar pickling method because my wife makes jam and we have a ton of jars. We add thin slices of peeled Granny Smith apples to our verison and always use cider vinegar.

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Thank you!!

Do you heat anything? Use oil? What size Mason jar? How long does it last in the fridge?

Yes, we prepare veg while the brine simmers, pour into Half and full pint mason jars that have been filled with the veg ingredients, seal and steam in water bath on stove. Cool on counter. Refrig what you plan to eat right away and store in pantry the rest. Keeps a few months if sealed properly. Brine has no oil in it. When we use the salad, I drizzle a bit of oil and toss fresh.

If you only want to make a small batch buy a small cabbage and adjust the other veg accordingly.

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Thanks again!

I’m guessing there is no ferment; is that right,?

Traditionally curtido is fermented and includes cabbage, carrot, and onion. I always make a quick pickle with raw apple cider vinegar and let the leftovers marinate a bit. I add Mexican oregano but can’t vouch for authenticity. No oil!

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Ahhh!

Just found this fermenting forward one.

South Beach primal

(Accept Google translation prompt). Chili is optional but probably good.

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That looks legit.

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Def fermented. Thats why we use the jarred method.

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Check out this picture (not mine))!

Shepaused4thought

fermentation-jars%20(1)

Curtido near the right end.

For my own recipe,


So far nothing is heated, I used a low vinegar and lowish salt, low liquid recipe, smashed it up a bit, and the veg is not submerged. Uh oh!

Put in what was supposed to be a “seasoning” pepper, which smells amazing, but is pretty hot.

It’s in a glass jar , that doesn’t have a vent, so I’ll have to come up with a plan for fermenting.

I’m used to fermenting peppers.

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Just briefly open the lid daily to release the gas build-up - quickly reseal. Should be good.

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Thank you! Should I not worry that the cabagage is not submerged? Will I need to scrape mold?

I have a gazillion (okay, about 10) air locks, but none the right size. Maybe when it shrikns down.

Parking this recipe for future reference!

It says “Weight down the ferment. There should be enough juice from the vegetables to rise up and fully cover the solids. If there isn’t, add 1 tsp of fine sea salt to a cup of water, then add enough of this brine so that the liquids fully cover the solids.”

Lacto-fermented-curtido from nwedible

@shrinkrap I would add salt water to just about cover, then cover the surface with a cabbage leaf and try to weight that down and submerge it, if you can. You do want to keep everything covered. Or use a layer of plastic wrap the same way.

If it molds (anything other than a thin white/creamy kahm yeast, quite common in summer and if overfermented) - throw it out. Also trust your nose. If the smell turns your stomach, toss it. Mold can be present even after scraping and is not safe to eat.

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To be honest the only vinegar I’ve ever fermented with was apple cider “with the mother” - is that what you used? A live vinegar? Otherwise the acidity from something like distillled vinegar might interfere with fermentation - not sure. When making other ferments, I typically use just salt and water, plus a dash of Caldwell’s starter to encourage a healthy ferment. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Starter-Culture-for-Vegetables-2-Packet-Caldwell-s-Fermentation/135722201?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1750&adid=22222222228064055761&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=169621179776&wl4=pla-276987808705&wl5=9010332&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113510005&wl11=online&wl12=135722201&wl13=&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjwn4ncBRCaARIsAFD5-gVtdmz54qxHF9eqlNOXRMsyKkTMEjJo_i_g4G5_otA3U031ko-SaBQaAqKNEALw_wcB

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Yes, if I added any, it was some vinegar I made…I think. To be honest, not sure if I even put any in. I started out with one recipe, and ended with a different one.

OK. Just be careful about reducing salt. It needs adequate salt to keep the ferment healthy.

Yeah…I’m afaraid I’ve gone rogue. :neutral_face:

I think I started with the Serious Eats one, with 3 Tb vinegar to 2 pound’s cabage for a “quick pickle”, then decided I wanted a ferment.

I think you need around a tablespoon total for that size jar. I am definitely not a fermenting expert though. You can always salvage things by adding brine and a cover to submerge, right?

Here’s a tasty, easy ferment - lightly scrub but do not peel, and cut into batons, enough organic carrots to almost fill a quart jar. Cover with filtered/spring water and 1 tbsp. sea salt, add a small clove of peeled garlic and a few inches of peeled ginger. Seal the jar and shake to dissolve the salt. Store in a cool-ish, dark place for 1-2 weeks, “burping” the jar every day or so to quickly release built-up gas. Refrigerate and enjoy. These are delightful on a cheese plate or with hummus (paging @Rooster).

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This sounds like me in the kitchen :rofl:

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