Alpha Gal Friendly Chow Chow Relish
This tangy, golden relish is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste more interesting — from grilled vegetables to grain bowls to a simple cheese board. Cabbage, carrot, zucchini, and onion are salted, squeezed dry, then simmered in apple cider vinegar and honey with warm spices until the whole mixture collapses into a glossy, syrupy glaze. The turmeric gives it a beautiful color, while Ceylon cinnamon and ginger add just enough warmth to keep things complex without being sweet. For anyone navigating alpha-gal syndrome, store-bought relishes and condiments can be a minefield of hidden mammalian-derived ingredients, but this one is built entirely from plants, vinegar, and honey — nothing to second-guess. Squeezing the salted vegetables before cooking is the move that keeps the texture snappy rather than soggy, so don't skip that step. It takes a little patience to let it simmer down to that sticky, coat-the-spoon consistency, but the payoff is a relish that tastes genuinely homemade in the best possible way. Make a jar on the weekend and you'll find yourself reaching for it all week long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
16 servings
- 3 cups green cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 cup carrot, finely grated
- 1 cup zucchini, finely diced
- ½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground ceylon cinnamon
For finishing
- ½ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
Instructions
- 1
Combine the shredded cabbage, grated carrot, diced zucchini, and diced onion in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon fine sea salt and toss well to coat. Let the vegetables sit for 1 hour at room temperature until they have released a significant amount of liquid and softened noticeably.
- 2
Transfer the salted vegetables to a clean kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth and squeeze firmly over the sink until as much liquid as possible has been expelled — the vegetables should feel dry and compact.
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