Stir In This Unexpected Liquid For Mouthwatering Cabbage You Won't Forget

It's about time cabbage takes center stage. This cruciferous vegetable is not only healthy but delicious and extremely versatile too. You can fry it, braise it, stuff it, pickle it, roast it, or use it to make a classic spicy kimchi. But if you really want to create a mouthwatering cabbage dish that your friends and family won't be able to get enough of, stir in some beer to take it to the next level.

Beer may not be the first thing you think of when deciding what ingredients to pair your veggies with. But when it comes to cooking, it's actually quite a popular ingredient. Beer is a great braising liquid for restaurant-worthy chicken or a rich and delicious stewed beef, and it is the perfect simmering broth for brats before you pop them on the grill. It even works in baking for recipes like breads and chocolate cupcakes. And there's a reason why it can also be used with cabbage as well.

Beer gives recipes a rich and earthy depth of flavor that balances out dishes that are otherwise bitter or overly sweet. The reason it works lies in beer's hops and malt — the hops create bitterness and the malt creates a sweetness. In other words, the perfect balancing act. Cabbage, which has a touch of bitterness on its own and sweetens as it cooks if you're working with the commonly used green variety, is a natural pairing for this flavorful liquid. Plus, you have the luxury of different styles of beer to change up the flavor to suit your palate. The result is a flavor-packed dish that will hit the spot with every bite.

To say beer-braised cabbage is melt-in-your-mouth good is pretty darn accurate. What you're actually making is called "melting cabbage," and it's a technique that chefs use to turn simple food like cabbage into the centerpiece of a meal.It's a two-step process where you cooking the cabbage in broth (in this case, beer) in a covered pan and then finish it off in an uncovered one so it caramelizes. It's extremely simple yet so deeply delicious that it will quickly become a favorite cooking technique (not to mention a go-to meal).

Choosing the right beer for your cabbage is a combination of preference and what works best with the vegetable. Melting cabbage usually calls for a broth, and a good ale or stout beer is a great option to use in its place. Cabbage also pairs really well with lager beer, so you've got plenty of options to experiment with.

To make the dish, cut the cabbage into wedges while keeping the core intact, and then season them to your preference. Sear any aromatics you'd like in a pan, layer the cabbage on top, and then add your liquid (in this case, your beer of choice). From there, the first step is to let the cabbage cook covered until the flavors meld and the vegetable tenderizes. This should take about half an hour so, after which you'll want to take the lid off and give the cabbage another few minutes. When the liquid is almost completely absorbed and your cabbage leaves have developed a beautiful caramelized finish, your dish should be ready to astound your guests and satisfy everyone's taste buds.