Curtido

Ingredients

Vegetables

• 1small white cabbage, about 700 g, shredded fine
• 2carrots, coarsely grated
• 1onion, sliced very thin
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1jalapeño or 2 tsp dried chilli flakes

Brine

• 250 mlwhite vinegar
• 250 mlhot water
• 1 tbspsalt
• 1 tspsugar

To serve

• pupusas, hot from the griddle
• salsa roja

Directions

1. Put the shredded cabbage in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it. Leave for exactly five minutes, then drain thoroughly. This brief scald wilts the cabbage just enough to pack down and take up the brine without cooking it soft.
2. Toss the drained cabbage with the grated carrot, sliced onion, oregano and chilli.
3. Stir the salt and sugar into the hot water until dissolved, then mix in the vinegar.
4. Pack the vegetables into a jar, pressing down firmly, and pour over the brine so everything is submerged. Weight anything that floats.
5. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for two to three days. It will go faintly fizzy and the smell will sharpen — that is the light fermentation that makes it curtido rather than a vinegar slaw.
6. Move to the fridge, where it keeps a month and goes on souring slowly.
7. Serve a good handful on top of every pupusa, with salsa roja.

Technique

• Five minutes in the boiling water, no longer. Left in it, the cabbage goes limp and the whole point is the crunch.
• It is meant to be eaten in quantity — a spoonful is not enough. The pupusa is rich and the curtido is what balances it.
• The two or three days at room temperature are what separate this from a slaw. It is worth the wait.

Substitutions

• Cider vinegar for white, which is softer.
• Red cabbage for part of the white, which colours the whole jar pink.
• A pinch of cumin, which some Salvadoran cooks add.

Variations

• A quicker version skips the ferment and is eaten within hours, which is what most restaurants do.
• The Honduran and Guatemalan versions add more oregano and less chilli.

History

Lightly fermented cabbage, carrot and onion relish jarred with vinegar and oregano; it is served with every pupusa to cut the richness.

Frequently asked questions

What is Curtido?

Curtido is a fermented & pickled from El Salvador: lightly fermented cabbage slaw served with pupusas. Lightly fermented cabbage, carrot and onion relish jarred with vinegar and oregano; it is served with every pupusa to cut the richness.

How long does Curtido take to make?

Curtido takes 25 min plus 2 to 3 days of preparation and 5 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills a 1-litre jar. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Curtido?

Yes, within limits. Cider vinegar for white, which is softer. Red cabbage for part of the white, which colours the whole jar pink. A pinch of cumin, which some Salvadoran cooks add.

What is the most important thing to get right in Curtido?

Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for two to three days. It will go faintly fizzy and the smell will sharpen — that is the light fermentation that makes it curtido rather than a vinegar slaw.