Rotkohl German Braised Red Cabbage

A large plate full of shredded and braised red cabbage or rotkohl.

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5 from 9 votes

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: German

Servings:

Calories: 209kcal

Author: Jana Dziak

Ingredients

½ head red cabbage thinly sliced, feel free to use the whole head and double up this recipe to have leftovers.
1 large yelloe onion finely diced
1 large apple tart apples work best
¼ cup butter or lard
2 tablespoons red currant jam
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup apple cider or juice
1 bay leaf
3 whole cloves leave cloves whole, do not crush them.
3 juniper berries leave out if you don't have any and add 2 more cloves
1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Prep all of your ingredients. Dice and slice the fruits and vegetables. A mandoline is great to speed up the cabbage processing.
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sauté onions and apples for 10 minutes or until translucent and starting to get soft.
Add the cabbage to the onions and apples and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring the entire time. Coat the cabbage in the fat.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine everything well. Bring the liquids to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce heat to a low simmer.
Simmer for 1 hour until cabbage is soft but not mushy. Check it at the 45-minute mark.
Serve warm or cold as a side dish.

Notes

Ingredient Substitution Notes (Where Applicable)

Red Cabbage | Sometimes called purple cabbage, this is the star of this dish. You can find this cheap, delicious, and healthy cabbage everywhere — or even grow it yourself.
Onion | I prefer yellow onion, but you can use whatever you have on hand. You might also try shallots.
Apple | I love a tart apple like Granny Smith; use whatever you have on hand.
Butter | The addition of a fat like butter really complements cabbage. You can also use lard or bacon fat.
Red Currant Jam | Or jelly. You can also use cherry, blueberry, lingonberry, or any other berry jam you have on hand.
Red Wine Vinegar | Use apple cider, white wine, or balsamic instead.
Apple Cider | Or apple juice. A fruit beer would also work here. My mother-in-law uses crushed canned pineapples.
Juniper Berries | This is an expensive ingredient to buy, but it's very traditional and used in many German recipes. A little bit goes a long way. Use a few more cloves instead or nothing. You can forage for juniper berries very easily pretty much year-round. We have a ton growing on our land.
Sugar | Brown sugar is great, and so is maple syrup or honey.
Salt | I always use unrefined sea salt in all my recipes.
Bay Leaf

Storage, Freezing, & Reheating

Rotkohl is a great dish to make a big batch of and then reheat or freeze for longer-term storage.

It will last up to 7 days in the refrigerator and should be stored in a covered container. Reheat it gently on the stovetop over low heat and add a splash of water to the pot.

It will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Let it thaw in the refrigerator and then gently reheat it.

Nutrition