Gelatin Free Chow Chow Relish
This tangy, golden relish is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste better — from grilled sausages and burgers to a humble cheese board or grain bowl. Cabbage, carrot, zucchini, and onion get salted and squeezed dry before simmering in a bright brine of apple cider vinegar and honey, which means every bite is deeply flavored without being watery or limp. The warm spice notes from turmeric, ginger, and Ceylon cinnamon give it a complexity that store-bought relishes rarely come close to matching. Many commercial relishes and preserves sneak in gelatin or pectin as a thickener, but this one achieves its gorgeous syrupy glaze entirely through reduction — no additives, no shortcuts. The whole process is straightforward enough for a weekend afternoon, and the payoff is two weeks' worth of a truly versatile condiment waiting in your fridge. Let it chill for at least an hour before serving and the flavors knit together into something genuinely special.
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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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