• Pan fry curry powder over low heat on the stove for 3 to 4 minutes to eliminate raw taste. Remove and set aside.
• Pan fry coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds in a pan over low heat on the stove until fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a pestle and light crush for mortar to release its oils.
• Wash jars in warm, soapy water. Place the washed jars in a deep pot or canner. Fill the jars up to the top and the canner up to the same level as the jars with water. Cover the canner and bring water to a simmer (with small bubbles).
• Wash metal bands and silicone fermentation lids with warm soapy water. Drop the metal bands (but not the silicone fermentation lids) into the canner together with the jars. When ready to use, take them out from the canner with a pair of tongs. Dry them with a clean towel. If you are using plastic bands, wash them with warm soapy water but do not drop into canner.
• Remove and discard any blemish leaves from each cabbage. Peel off one whole leaf from each cabbage, rinse, and cut two circles (the diameter of 1 quart Mason jar) out of reserved cabbage leaves. Set aside.
• Cut cabbage into quarters and then cut off the cores from each cabbage quarter. Rinse and drain cabbage quarters thoroughly.
• Place one wedge of cabbage on your cutting board with cut side down. Slice crosswise as thinly as you can. Transfer sliced cabbage to a large bowl and sprinkle some of the salt over the sliced cabbage. Keep slicing cabbage, adding it to the bowl, and sprinkling salt in layers until all cabbage quarters are sliced.
• Add julienned carrots, red peppers, bell pepper, and onion. Sprinkle prepared spices and curry powder over the top.
• Toss, squeeze, and massage shredded cabbage and vegetables well to incorporate the salt, spices and curry powder evenly. This will take some work, about 4 to 5 minutes, and you should see some juices/brine being released. Use a wooden tamper/pounder to pound and mix the cabbage and vegetables for another 4 to 5 minutes until vegetables are wilted and juicy.
• Pack a couple of handfuls of cabbage and vegetables into prepared jars at a time. Use wooden tamper/pounder to pack it down firmly. Continue adding and packing down the cabbage and vegetables until the jar is filled to just below the shoulder. The brine should rise up to the top. Do not overfill jar.
• Place a cut-out cabbage circle on the surface of shredded cabbage and vegetables to prevent little bits from floating up. Place a weight on the top to keep the shredded cabbage submerged in the brine.
• Wipe the rim of the jar, place a silicone fermentation lid on the rim, and secure with a Mason jar or plastic band. Place jars on a tray just in case the brine overflows the jar. Transfer to a cool, dark place to ferment with preferably an ambient temperature between 60⁰F and 70⁰F / 15⁰C and 21⁰C.
• Fermentation should begin within 2 to 3 days. As it proceeds, you will notice these changes:

  a. The cabbage and vegetables swell up so that the brine almost touches the lid.

  b. Pockets of gas appear in the cabbage.

  c. The color changes from bright green to the color of cooked vegetables.

  d. Bubbles appear on the surface of the brine.

  e. A sulfurous aroma emitting from the jar.

Taste Test

• After 6 days, open the jar, remove the weight and cut-out cabbage circle, and have a taste. The cabbage should be nearly translucent by now. The salty flavor should have diminished and be replaced with a bright and tangy flavor of the lactic acid.
• If you feel that the taste of the Curry Kraut is to your liking, screw on a plastic Mason jar lid and store in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 months.