Braised Sauerkraut – Czech Dušené kysané zelí
This Czech-style braised sauerkraut is deep in flavor, glossy, creamy, and with just enough juice. It’s cooked with onion and bacon, served as a side dish for famous Czech meals like vepřo knedlo zelo.
Servings 4 portions
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) sauerkraut
- 2 onions
- 3 oz (85 g) smoked bacon
- 1 Tbsp pork lard or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp crushed caraway seeds
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- salt
- water as required
Instructions
- Do before you start cooking: Peel onion and chop it finely. Drain sauerkraut; reserve the brine for later. If the sauerkraut contains big pieces, cut it up into smaller ones. Dice bacon into 1/3 inch cubes.
- In a pot, melt pork lard over medium heat. Add chopped onion and fry until the onion is translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent the onion from burning. It takes about 5-8 minutes. Add crushed caraway seeds and stir.
- Throw in cubed bacon, fry for 5 minutes while stirring. Add sauerkraut and mix. If the reserved brine is not too sour, you can add about ½ cup. If the brine is too acidic, add ½ cup water to it. Or make a compromise and add ¼ of the brine plus ¼ of water to the sauerkraut.
- Low the temperature, cover the pot with a lid and let the sauerkraut braise for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, stir in sugar. Add flour and mix. Cook on low heat for a further 15 minutes. Braised sauerkraut will thicken and get a nice glossy look.
- Season the finished sauerkraut with salt and sugar to your liking.
- Serve warm as a side dish.
Notes
- Makes about 4 yields.
- Total time for braising sauerkraut should not exceed 30 minutes to avoid overcooking.
- You don’t need to rinse sauerkraut or soak it in the water before cooking. However, if the flavor is too sharp, you can rinse sauerkraut in a colander under streaming water. This step removes some of the sour taste.
- Bacon is a thing in this recipe! You can omit it, but the sauerkraut won’t have the final taste which is expected.
- Czech braised sauerkraut must be creamy. The creaminess is given by adding an adequate amount of water and thickening with flour.