Makes enough to fill a 1.5 litre jar
Ready in 7-30 days
Soak the arame threads in a bowl with plenty of warm water for
15 minutes.
Trim and quarter the cabbage, removing the fibrous core. Chop the
cabbage into 3 mm thick slices and put in a large bowl. Add the
ginger and sea salt. Rub the salt into the cabbage, scrunching the mix
firmly, until the cabbage has released plenty of liquid.
Strain the arame and discard the soaking water. Mix the arame into
the cabbage very well.
Take your clean jar and lid and fill it completely with the
cabbage mixture. Push the cabbage down very firmly (see note below).
Top up with more cabbage, pressing down some more to ensure that it
is submerged in the liquid. Make sure to leave at least 2 cm of
space between the liquid and the rim of the jar. Use a vegetable stopper
or an airlock lid, or simply press the vegetables under their
liquid and close the lid tightly. Label the jar and stand it on a plate
or tray.
Leave in a cool place to ferment for 7-30 days. Gradually, you will notice bubbles, a few at first and then masses. The bubbles will begin to subside and this is the point at which you can start tasting the kraut. I like this best after a month or so, when the cabbage is really quite sour, but keep tasting until you are happy with the flavours, then put the jar in the fridge to keep for up to 12 months.
You can do as I do and stand the jar on the floor then use your clean
fist and body weight to lean on the vegetables in order to compress
and submerge them.