Curtido de Repollo (Pickled Cabbage Salad)

A Nicaraguan family friend made this for a a reunion me and family attended because we hadn't seen this family or friends from that area in years.


She made this delicious spicy pickled cabbage salad. My mother later asked her if she could please share the recipe with us, and she did (along with her family recipe for the BEST Tres Leches Cake I have ever had in my entire life posted somewhere on my blog but it has no pictorials)

Well we made this dish just how she told us and since then it has been a hit in my house we make this REALLY OFTEN it is perfect because it makes a LARGE portion and can last in the fridge for over a week or longer since it's pickled. We just pull it out of the fridge for any meal of the day and eat tons of it as a side dish.

PERFECT FOR SUMMER HEAT also because you don't have to use the stove or oven :)


Ingredients:
-1 cabbage head (shredded)
-2 Serrano chili peppers or other green spicy chili peppers or milder ones like Jalapeño
-1 1/2 cups white distilled vinegar
-1 cup of water
-1 tablespoon salt (if using a giant cabbage hear or a fairly large one use 2 tablespoons)
-2 medium tomatoes diced
-1 medium or small onion minced
-2 spicy Serrano chili peppers or other green spicy chili pepper minced finely (OPTIONAL this is for adding way later)

Directions:
(1)Put shredded cabbage in a large bowl.

(2)In a blender, add water, vinegar, salt, and 2 chili peppers. Blend until chili peppers are destroyed and liquefied.

(3)Add blended contents to shredded cabbage and toss well together. Let rest in refrigerator AT LEAST 3 hours and toss every 1 hour if possible or every now and then. You can also just leave it OVERNIGHT to pickle in the fridge and toss every now and then.


(4)After pickling toss with the tomato, onion, and Serrano chilies or other green chilies.



(5)This is COMPLETELY optional, after tossing with everything you may drain all the excess liquid if desired, I simply use a giant spoon or something with openings to scoop out the pickled cabbage, I also like to leave the liquid because it pickles the tomato, onion, and chili pepper overtime and gets stronger and more intense.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is really spicy for some people so it is optional to add 2 extra chili peppers, taste it first, you may want to add less chili peppers if you find you can't tolerate heat. But in my household and many others here WE LOVE SPICY!

Also be careful with your hands, when handling the chili peppers they will get spicy and if you touch your eyes it will burn, I don't wear gloves or anything I don't mind the spicyness on my hand, I just don't rub my eyes and am careful.