Mulberry, Miso & Seaweed Sauerkraut

When I was developing kimchi recipes for a local Korean eaterie (they couldn’t keep up with demand, so brought me in to help), I started playing around with ingredient swaps - looking for ways to capture traditional flavours using what I could source locally. One ingredient that came up in white kimchi recipes was jujube: a sweet fruit valued for both its flavour and medicinal qualities. But it’s not exactly easy to find - especially in the rural area where I live.

Enter: the brilliant staff at my local health food shop. “Why not try dried mulberries?” they suggested. I didn’t even know they existed. Obviously, I had to try them.

At first, I tested them in a batch of white kimchi (which turned out to be a fan favourite). But I couldn’t stop there - I started wondering how they'd work in other ferments. That’s how this mulberry, miso, and seaweed sauerkraut came about. It’s super simple, surprisingly balanced, and has become one of my go-to recipes.

The mulberries add a mellow, slightly sour sweetness and a lovely chewy texture. A spoon of miso brings deep umami, and the seaweed and spices round it all out beautifully.

Try it - I think you'll love it.

Ingredients

• 1 white cabbage or sweetheart/hispi (approx. 1kg)
  
  
• 1 tbsp sweet white miso (or any miso you love)
  
  
• 1½ tbsp dried mulberries
  
  
• 1½ tsp dried seaweed (I like arame)
  
  
• 1½ tsp wild mustard seed or nigella seed
  
  
• 20g salt (2% of the cabbage weight)

You’ll also need:

• 1.5-litre jar
  
  
• Fermentation weight (optional but useful)

Method

1. Wash your cabbage and set aside one of the outer leaves.
   
   
2. Weigh your empty bowl and make a note of the weight.
   
   
3. Make sure your jar and all utensils are clean and well rinsed.
   
   
4. Finely shred the cabbage and place it into the bowl.
   
   
5. Weigh the bowl again (with the cabbage) and subtract the weight of the empty bowl to get the cabbage weight.
   Calculate 2% of that weight in salt — for example, 1kg of cabbage needs 20g of salt.
   
   
6. Add the salt and massage the cabbage until it releases a good amount of brine.
   
   
7. Add the mulberries, miso, seaweed, and seeds to the bowl and mix thoroughly.
   
   
8. Pack the mixture tightly into your jar, pressing down to eliminate air pockets. You want the brine to rise above the cabbage — remember: below the brine, all is fine.
   
   
9. Leave a couple of inches of headspace at the top.
   
   
10. Use the outer cabbage leaf to cover the surface of the kraut, then add your fermentation weight if using.
    
    
11. Ferment at room temperature for 10–14 days (longer if it's chilly). Taste from day 10 onwards until it hits your preferred tang.
    
    
12. Once it’s ready, transfer to smaller jars and store in the fridge.

💬 New to fermenting?
Start with our Naked Kraut recipe — it’s beginner-friendly and walks you through the basics of safe, simple fermentation.