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Prep time
24 hours 30 minutes
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makes
2 quarts
Author Notes
Lightly fermented cabbage with carrots, onion, and jalapeños —Rick Martinez
Test Kitchen Notes
Recipe reprinted with permission from Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico (Clarkson Potter, May 2022).
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Watch This Recipe
Curdito
Ingredients
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1/2
large head green cabbage (652 grams), cored and thinly sliced
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4
medium carrots (244 grams), cut into 3-inch-long sticks
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1/2
medium white onion (196 grams), coarsely chopped
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4
chiles jalapeños (133 grams), stemmed and quartered lengthwise
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1
garlic clove, finely grated
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3 3/4 teaspoons
(20 grams) Morton kosher salt
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2 teaspoons
dried oregano, preferably Mexican
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2
bay leaves
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3
whole cloves
Directions
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In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrots, onion, jalapeños, garlic, salt, oregano, bay leaves, and cloves. Let sit for 30 minutes to wilt the cabbage.
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Transfer to an airtight container (like a 2-quart mason jar) and press down firmly on the cabbage to release the juices; the liquid should be at or above the level of the vegetables. Fasten the lid and let sit at room temperature for at least 23 hours. The curdito will get tangier and funkier the longer it sits. I like it best after 4 days of fermentation. Refrigerate after 4 days.
Rick Martinez is currently living his dream—cooking, eating and enjoying the Mexican Pacific coast in Mazatlán. He is finishing his first cookbook, Under the Papaya Tree, food from the seven regions of Mexico and loved traveling the country so much, he decided to buy a house on the beach. He is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit, New York Times and hosts live, weekly cooking classes for Food Network Kitchens. Earlier this year, he was nominated for a James Beard Award for “How to win the Cookie Swap” in Bon Appétit’s holiday issue.
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