Braised red cabbage is the obligatory side dish of duck and goose roasts in Hungary. There are a number of ways to cook red cabbage but the most common is to braise it. It is also great finely shredded in salads and coleslaws.

Red cabbage is full of vitamins (A,C and K), minerals and anti-oxidants; it has 10 times more vitamin A and twice as much iron as green cabbage.  On cooking, red cabbage will normally turn blue. To retain the red colour, it is necessary to add vinegar or acidic fruit to the pot.

It’s not commonly known that classic braised red cabbage isn’t sweetened with plain sugar, its cooking  starts with making a caramel in some fat. Braising requires liquid, so those recipes that instruct you not to add water to the pot are incorrect. Finely chopped onion and grated apple are a must because they bring out the best in this earthy vegetable.

The spices of braised red cabbage are usually caraway seeds, ground black pepper and salt; however, I always add some crushed coriander corns to the cabbage as it goes very well with it. Vinegar is added once cabbage is done in order to restore its deep purple hue.