Red cabbage. A vegetable which is rather foreign to me. Sure I ate it many times in salads, but when it comes to using it as an ingredient myself, well, we generally look at each other in the market for a few minutes and then I move forward to another vegetable, continuing our mutual indifference. This weird relationship ended with this soup.

 

 

A few months ago I bought a new soup cookbook cold Clean Soups. I saw this recipe in that cookbook and I got intrigued because of the red cabbage – I had honestly never seen its use in anything other than salads before. But because I am also slightly blind with red cabbage, I never got to try the recipe until recently – I had to note it down with capital letters to remind myself to go and look for it in the market.

 

 

 

Apparently, this recipe comes from Hungarian cuisine, or at least inspired by it. It is very fast and easy to make and the result is delicious. The addition of crunchy apple adds a rich taste and in the end it all looks like a nice, purple-red combo!

 

 

Red cabbage may cause flatulence and bloating for many people to be honest. However, the use of apple cider vinegar and caraway seeds in this recipe takes care of this problem significantly. Other seeds you can use, if you are not a fan of caraway seeds, are cumin seeds or fennel seeds, each changing the taste slightly with their own distinct aromas.

 

I don’t know how the weather is where you are, but Helsinki is still trying to find its way through winter / spring so a nice, cosy bowl of soup is always welcome. Enjoy your recipe and have a great week!
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Ingredients:

 

Difficulty: ★☆☆ (Easy)
(serves 4)

 

Printable PDF-recipe (no photos)

 

2 tbsp olive oil
1 big onion, diced
450 gr. red cabbage, first quartered then sliced thinly (or grated)
salt to taste, about 1 tsp
1 crunchy apple, unpeeled and coarsely grated
1 tsp caraway seeds (or cumin seeds, or fennel seeds)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1.5 lt water or vegetable broth, or a combination of both that makes a total of 1.5 liquid
pepper to taste

 

To serve:
Coconut yogurt – I used Alpro plain soy yogurt with coconut (if you are not vegan, you can use normal plain yogurt)

 

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1. In a soup pot, add olive oil on medium high heat for about half a minute. Add onion and sauté until it is translucent, for about 5 minutes.

 

 

 

 

2. Add cabbage and about 1/4 tsp salt and sauté for 5 minutes.

 

 

 

 

3. Add apple and caraway seeds and continue to cook for 1 more minute by continuously stirring.

 

 

 

 

4. Add apple cider vinegar, sugar and about 2 dl of broth/water, cook for 5 minutes by stirring frequently.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Add the rest of water / broth, stir and let it come to a boil. When it boils, turn the heat low and simmer it gently for 30-35 minutes, until the cabbage cooks and gets tender.

 

 

 

6. Add more salt and pepper to taste and cook for 2 more minutes with this addition. Turn down the heat and let the soup rest for 10 minutes, with the lid on. Serve with soy or coconut yogurt (or normal yogurt, if you are not vegan). Enjoy!