“Rodkaal” literally means red cabbage, and it is a typical recipe from Denmark. It is the most common way this vegetable is prepared, usually served as a side dish with meat, just like the caramelized potatoes from last week. Both are very typical on Christmas meals.
Ingredients:
- 1 Red cabagge.
- 180 ml Apple cider vinegar.
- 400 ml water.
- 1 teaspoon Salt.
- 120 grams brown sugar.
- Some pepper.
- Red current jam.
Method:
1- Cut the red cabbage in half and remove the white core.
2- Cut the red cabagge into strips.
3- Put the red cabbage in a pot, add the apple cider vinegar, salt, water, sugar, and pepper. Stir well and put a lid on, leaving a small gap for the steam to escape.
Let it cook for 2 hours over medium-low heat.
4- Now it is time to add the red currant jam, stir well, and let it cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
5- Boil some jars in water for one hour to sterilize them.
6- Put the red cabbage into jars, filling them almost to the top, and top them up with the cooking liquid it has released. Once it has cooled, you can store it like any preserve and consume it gradually as a side dish for any meals you like.
Caramelized potatoes, or Brunede kartofler, are a very popular side dish in Denmark, especially in Christmas meals, where they are served with meatballs or roasted duck or pork. They are very easy to prepare and have a wonderfully pleasant flavor with a light sweetness. However, since they need to rest overnight, you should start cooking them the day before.
Ingredients:
- 500 grams small potatoes for garnish.
- 50 grams sugar.
- 25 grams butter.
- Salt.
Method:
1- Wash the potatoes well and put them in salted water to boil for 50 minutes; since they are small, there’s no need to poke them.
2- Let them cool, then peel the potatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rest in the fridge overnight so they can release their moisture.
3- Add sugar to a pan and place it over medium heat until it melts. Then add the butter, and once it has melted, add the potatoes. Stir continuously so the sugar gradually coats potatoes' surface, about 5–6 minutes, until they look like this:
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Yakbap is a traditional Korean dessert, enjoyed in both North and South Korea.
“Yak” means medicine and “bap” means rice, so the name literally translates to “medicinal rice” because it is made with very healthy ingredients.
It is also called Yaksik or "medicinal meal".
It is sweetened with honey or brown sugar and includes a mix of highly nutritious nuts along with glutinous rice. Among the nuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, walnuts, the jujube (also known as Chinese dates) are essential, as they have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
When eaten cold, glutinous rice contains a high amount of resistant starch, which helps nourish our gut microbiota.
It is traditionally eaten during the lunar festival Jeongwol Daeboreum (정월대보름), which coincides with the first full moon of the lunar year.
Ingredients:
500 grams of glutinous rice
200 grams of jujube (Chinese red dates)
40 grams of walnuts
40 grams of raisins
40 grams of pine nuts
100 grams of chestnuts
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
285 ml of jujube seed tea
180 grams of brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Method:
1- Wash the glutinous rice and soak it in water for 5 to 6 hours.
2- Make a cut in the shell of the chestnuts and boil them in salted water for 40 minutes.
3- Soak the jujubes (Chinese red dates) for 10 minutes. Jujube is a Chinese date that you can buy in Asian grocery stores.
4- Once hydrated, remove the pits from the jujubes and cut them into pieces. Do not discard the pits—we’ll use them to make jujube tea. Place the pits in 500 ml of water, bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Once the water has a golden-brown color, strain it, and your tea is ready.
5- Peel the chestnuts and cut them into small pieces. Set them aside separately from the rest of the nuts, as they will be added to the mixture later. Also chop the walnuts into small pieces.
6- Add 450 ml of water and 130 grams of brown sugar In a pressure cooker , heat it slightly until the sugar dissolves.
7- Add the rice, jujubes, raisins, pine nuts, and walnuts (all the nuts except the chestnuts) to the pressure cooker. Add a pinch of salt, the soy sauce, sesame oil, and cinnamon, and mix everything well.
Add jujube tea just until everything is covered. Cook on high heat until steam starts to come out of the valve; at that point, reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool until all the pressure is released, then you can open it.
8- Spread some sesame oil on a tray and place the cooked rice on it. This is the moment to add the chestnuts, then mix everything well.
Spread the rice evenly and press down the surface so it becomes slightly compact. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour—though the longer it rests, the better.
9- Run a knife through the rice making vertical and horizontal lines to form small squares. These glutinous rice squares can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for a healthy snack whenever you like.
Take them out and microwave for a couple of minutes to defrost, and they’re ready to eat.
