Juniper berries, green apple, and tangy vinegar give this German red cabbage recipe it’s distinctive sweet and sour flavor. Make a big batch of this rotkohl recipe and watch it disappear!
As promised in my Pork Schnitzel recipe post, today I’m sharing my recipe for sweet and sour German braised cabbage – AKA “Rotkohl”!
I shot this recipe last week, but let me tell you… what I wouldn’t give to be eating some of this right now.
We’re experiencing severe weather here (floods, windstorms, tornadoes…. so far), and it’s so incredibly dark and gloomy outside that all I want is some comfort food.
For some people, comfort food is fried chicken, meatloaf, or spaghetti. For me, it’s German food.
Serve me a platter of sauerbraten, spaetzle, and rotkohl and I’m a happy camper. Bring me some fondue and mulled wine to go along with it, and I’m a full-bellied, slightly intoxicated camper.
Which is obviously the best kind of camper.
Alright, let’s talk about this German red cabbage recipe.
I’ve heard of people using plain white vinegar when making braised red cabbage, but I think it’s a little harsh for this recipe and prefer to use either apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar. I’ve tried it both ways and really can’t taste a difference. Just use whatever you have on hand.
I love to throw a few juniper berries in with my rotkohl because they add a wonderful freshness to the dish. I don’t how know to describe the flavor of juniper berries other than to say that they give gin its distinctive flavor.
I know that some people are adverse to the flavor; if you are one of them, then skip the juniper berries.
Here’s the Recipe!
German Braised Red Cabbage Recipe (Rotkohl Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium head red cabbage - shredded
- 1 granny smith apple - deseeded and grated
- 1 medium yellow onion - thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider or red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3-4 dried juniper berries
- Pinch ground cloves
Instructions
- Place the butter in a 6-quart or larger lidded pot set over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the cabbage, apple, onion, vinegar, sugar, water, juniper berries, and cloves to the pot.
- Allow the mixture to come to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and simmer, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the cabbage is tender and turning translucent (about 1 hour).
Please note this German rotkohl recipe is often misspelled as rotkhol recipe and rot kohl recipe.
Annetta, where do you get your juniper berries? Are they sold as a spice?
Hi, Judy! I buy mine dried from Frontier Co-Op – they have a website (frontiercoop.com), and you can also order them on Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Whole-Juniper-Berries-Ounce/dp/B000WR8L4S
I made this for Xmas Eve dinner with salmon, green beans and a mushroom rice dish. It was a nice counterpoint to the rest of the meal and so colorful. My mom can’t eat greens so this was a dish I made just with her in mind and she loved it! Wish I had read your answer before I cooked it but it was good without the juniper anyway. I love gin so I am thinking this will make my day. thanks, Anetta!
you should be able to find them at most grocery stores with the spices or find a local spice shop. I get most of my spices from the Savory Spice Shop.