Meatless Sauerkraut Bigus (Braised Sauerkraut) Recipe
At home we sometimes make bigus from sauerkraut alone, without fresh cabbage and without meat. It is a fragrant dish in its own right, with a distinctive flavor. It works as a side, or as a fairly filling meatless dish for fasting days. Most often, though, we make it as a cabbage filling for pies, for homemade crepes, or for stuffing a duck or a goose.
Bigus, or bigos, is a traditional dish for us, as it is for most European countries, where cooking it has often been raised to an art. History doesn't remember exactly where it came from or who created it, although it is considered Polish or said to have arrived from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th century. At its heart it is braised sauerkraut, sometimes with fresh white cabbage added, with pork, prunes and spices.
With so many variations, local traditions and quirks, my view is that the simpler the dish, the better it is. Various additions—mushrooms, sausage, wine, tomatoes and so on—are acceptable, but not used very often. Even made from a bare minimum of ingredients, the dish is always incredibly tasty.
Personally, I like bigus best when it is sour. Pork and prunes usually make the dish a little sweet, and fresh white cabbage changes the flavor quite a lot too. So braised sauerkraut in any form holds a place of honor in my kitchen. Ideally, let the dish sit in the fridge for a day or two, then reheat it and serve with white bread.
Homemade sauerkraut is ideal. Go for one that isn't too sour and preferably has carrot in it: the dish will turn out milder, and you won't need to cook carrots separately. I get the best results with soft sauerkraut that doesn't crunch.
We make sauerkraut bigus in a large pot or skillet, enough for several meals. After a spell in the cold it doesn't lose any flavor—in fact, it gets even better. In our family my mom makes the sauerkraut from an old family recipe, and in season there is always a big jar in the fridge. That said, markets offer plenty of choice, so you can taste around properly and pick the one you like.
Ingredients
2 servings
- Sauerkraut 0.6 kg
- Onions 2
- Vegetable oil 50 ml
- Sauerkraut brine as needed
- Salt, black pepper, coriander, red pepper, bay leaf to taste
- Parsley, green onions, white bread for serving
Step-by-step recipe
- If your sauerkraut was made without carrot, I suggest adding a peeled, grated carrot before frying the ingredients. Lightly squeeze the sauerkraut, saving the brine in a cup, as you may need it later. The amount of sauerkraut I give is very approximate, since I can eat a kilogram of bigus by myself and not burst. You can add more onion to the dish if you like. I use refined sunflower oil.
- Peel the onions and slice them into thin strips. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a skillet. Fry the onions over medium heat, uncovered, stirring often. They should soften and take on a nice golden color. People often advise adding the fried onions to the cabbage at the very end of cooking, but I braise the onions together with the cabbage, as I like it better that way.
- Add all the sauerkraut to the skillet and stir. Add the spices. Whether to salt it is up to you: salt goes into the cabbage during fermentation, so there may be no need to add more. Season with ground black pepper, add a pinch of hot pepper and ground coriander. Add 2–3 bay leaves. Stir and fry over low heat for 10–12 mins, stirring.
- Fried sauerkraut loses moisture fairly quickly. If the cabbage looks a bit dry after frying, add half a cup of sauerkraut brine, broth or plain water. Some recipes suggest adding sugar and vinegar, but to my mind the cabbage has enough acidity already, and sugar has no place there at all.
- Cover the skillet with a lid, turn the heat down to the minimum and braise the cabbage for at least 45 mins. The sauerkraut will gradually darken, taking on the shade typical of bigus. After 20–30 mins, remove the bay leaves. To keep that pleasant light brown color, I never add tomato paste to dishes like this.
- When you are happy with the result, take the lid off the skillet and let almost all the liquid evaporate. Sauerkraut bigus should be “dry”. Then drizzle the dish with the rest of the vegetable oil and fry the braised sauerkraut for another 10–15 mins.
- If you are serving it as a side, put a portion on a plate and add the main component. As a dish on its own, sauerkraut bigus is best served in a small, deep bowl, sprinkled with finely chopped herbs and green onions, with fresh white bread. I like to top it with a pinch of coarsely ground hot pepper or a spice blend that contains it.
- As a cabbage filling, bigus can be used once it has cooled, right away or the next day. It makes excellent pies with almost any dough, baked or fried.
| Yield: | 2 servings |
| Calories: | 70 |
| Prep: | 15 mins |
| Cooking: | 1 h 15 mins |
| Ready in: | 1 h 30 mins |
| Category: | Main Dishes |
| Cuisine: | Ukrainian cuisine |
| Rating: |
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4.3
(5)
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