Artificial Food Coloring Free Chow Chow Relish
Store-bought relish is one of those condiments that quietly sneaks artificial dyes into your pantry — that unnaturally bright yellow or vivid green hue is rarely coming from vegetables alone. This homemade version gets its gorgeous golden color entirely from ground turmeric, with warm notes of ginger and Ceylon cinnamon rounding out a brine made from apple cider vinegar and honey. Cabbage, carrot, zucchini, and onion are salted and pressed before simmering, which means the vegetables turn tender and silky while soaking up every bit of that tangy, lightly sweet glaze. The result is a relish that's deeply flavorful and completely free of synthetic dyes, with nothing on the ingredient list you'd need to second-guess. It keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks, so you can make a batch on the weekend and reach for it all week long on hot dogs, grain bowls, sandwiches, or cheese boards. Once you taste how much better this is than anything from a jar, going back will feel impossible.
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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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