Sweet, sour and savory, Scandinavian red cabbage, also known as 'rodkal,' is served as a traditional holiday side dish. It can be served hot as a side to a roast pork or poultry. It can be even be eaten cold as an addition to a salad or sandwich. I once saw it served next to Norwegian-style meatballs at a Portland food truck, which is what inspired me to look into making my own keto-friendly version. Normally made with sugar, apples, or jam as the sweet element, I swapped in erithrytol and stevia and a little dry red wine to make it lower carb. Healthy and tasty, this versatile side can be made any time of year as long as red cabbage as plentiful.
Keto Scandinavian Red Cabbage (Rodkal) Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ghee or pork fat (or coconut oil for a vegan version)
- 1 medium red cabbage, cut finely (about 12 cups shredded)
- ¾ cup raw cider vinegar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar (*or more cider vinegar)
- 1-2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons erithrytol, granulated
- ¼ teaspoon liquid stevia
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons dry red wine (optional)
Directions:
Add chosen cooking fat to the bottom of a large pot. Cover with a layer of cabbage. Sprinkle a light dusting of coconut flour, erithrytol and a pinch of caraway seeds. Season with a little salt. Repeat layering as many times as possible until you run out of room.
Add 1 cup water, liquid stevia and vinegar. Bring to a boil, and simmer on low for 1½ hours, or until the cabbage is quite soft, stirring occasionally. If it the liquid boils away, add a splash more.
Taste then stir in additional vinegar and/or liquid stevia, as well as salt and pepper to your preference if needed. Add the liquid stevia a few drips at a time as it is easy to go too far with it. Find the balance between the sweet and the sour that you like.
*Optional final step. Increase heat to medium or medium high and cook until bottom layer of cabbage starts to brown. Deglaze the pan with ½ tablespoon of wine, stir cabbage, and repeat until desired level of caramelization is reached. This step can add an extra layer of complexity to the dish giving it a bit more texture and body, but if you’re short on time, you can always skip it.
Did you make this keto Scandanavian braised red cabbage (rodkal) recipe? If so, please let me know how it turned out in the comments. Or if you share pics of your creations on Instagram, please tag me so I can see them. Enjoy! :)
