Tzatziki with Garlic Mustard
raw-vegan
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© Courtesy of Maximilian Ludwig, Eugen Ulmer Verlag Tzatziki with Garlic Mustard from the cookbook “Meine liebsten Wildpflanzen rohköstlich” (My favorite wild plants — raw and delicious), p. 83
Ingredients (for servings, )
| For the tzatziki | |
| 5 ½ oz | Brazil nuts |
| 3 tbsp | Sauerkraut juice (0.61 oz) |
| 120 ml | Tap water (mineral water, drinking) (4.2 oz) |
| 1 tbsp | Lemon juice (0.26 oz) |
| ½ | Cucumber (8.1 oz) |
| ⅛ oz | Garlic mustard |
| For the seasoning | |
| 1 dash | Black pepper (0.00 oz) |
| 1 dash | Sea salt (0.01 oz) |
Equipment
- hand-held blender / immersion blender or blender
- grater
- citrus juicer (lemon squeezer)
Type of preparation
- chop or grind
- food preparation without heating
- squeeze
- meld
- season to taste
- purée
- ferment
Preparation
For the tzatziki
Finely purée the Brazil nuts with the sauerkraut juice and water and then let rest in a covered bowl in a warm place for at least 1–2 days.If you don’t want to use sauerkraut juice, you can use yogurt starter cultures (vegan) instead.
After the yogurt you’ve made is fairly sour, purée it with the lemon juice (as well as with salt and pepper if desired) until the mixture is creamy.
Wash the cucumber, but don’t peel it and then cut into matchsticks using a vegetable slicer. Fold into the yogurt mixture along with the finely chopped garlic mustard.
If you don’t have a vegetable slicer, you can also use a coarse grater or a knife to cut the cucumber into matchsticks.
The original recipe calls for 1–2 handfuls garlic mustard.
For the seasoning
Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. It’s best to refrigerate the tzatziki before serving.
Tzatziki with Garlic Mustard is an original vegan version of the traditional recipe. The fermented sauerkraut juice gives this dish a certain flair.
Garlic mustard, flavor and occurrence: Garlic mustard has a pungent and somewhat bitter flavor. It tastes like a cross between horseradish, pepper cress, and garlic. It grows well in partial shade on the side of the road. In the winter season, you can pick the leaves from the rosettes that grow low to the ground, and starting in May you can pick young shoots.
Buying fresh sauerkraut juice: In health food stores and organic grocery stores, and in Germany also in some pharmacies, you can find high-quality sauerkraut juice. Store-bought sauerkraut juice is sometimes even sold in discount grocery stores and supermarkets, and of course also on the Internet. We recommend raw natural products that have been gently processed. Read the ingredient list before you buy as sauerkraut juice shouldn’t contain any sugar or artificial additives.
Start slow: “Not everyone appreciates the flavor of garlic mustard right from the start. In the beginning, use only half the amount the recipe calls for.”
Making your own sauerkraut juice:
General information: To make just under one liter of sauerkraut juice, you will need 250–300 grams of white cabbage and 750 milliliters of water as well as a container that is well suited for the fermentation process. If you plan to make more fermented foods in the future, we recommend you buy special fermentation crocks.
Procedure: Wash the white cabbage and cut off any damaged or discolored pieces. Finely cut the cabbage and then use your hands to knead it well. Place in the container and press down well. If you are using less cabbage, place a weight on top so that the cabbage stays firmly pressed together. Add the water and make sure that the cabbage is covered with water during the entire fermentation process. Close the container so that it is not quite airtight to allow the fermentation gases that form to escape, but also make sure that the lid is on tight enough. Otherwise, fermentation won’t take place. Let the cabbage ferment in a warm place for 3–4 days. Then pour off the sauerkraut juice and serve. If necessary, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 48 days.
Accelerating the fermentation process: If you still have some sauerkraut juice leftover from a previous batch, you can use it to speed up the fermentation process. Just double the amount of fresh white cabbage, use half the amount of water, and add 100–150 milliliters of fresh sauerkraut juice, and then it will be possible for the fermentation process to be completed in 24 hours, so long as the other conditions are the same.
Alternative to garlic mustard: Instead of garlic mustard, you can also use wild garlic or common garlic.
