Guatemalan Curtido Recipe

Glass jars filled with a Guatemalan curtido recipe. The jars are different sizes, and the smallest jar has an antique fork in it.

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4.59 from 12 votes

This Guatemalan curtido recipe is a delicious blend of cabbage slaw and pickled vegetables.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 30

Total Time2

Course: Vegetable

Cuisine: Guatemalan

Servings: servings

Calories: 53kcal

Author: Cheryl Bennett

Equipment

Stainless Steel Spider Strainer Skimmer Ladle for Cooking and Frying, 5.4 Inch

Ingredients

2 medium sized beets
3 medium carrots peeled and julienned or diced - 1 ¼ cups / 165g
⅓ head medium sized green cabbage finely shredded - approximately 3 ½ cups / 325g
¾ cup green beans cut into 1-inch pieces / 80g
¼ head cauliflower broken into small pieces - 1 ¼ cups
½ cup frozen peas 75g
½ medium red onion very thinly sliced
salt to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano preferably Mexican
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
½ cup white vinegar 120mL
¾ cup apple cider vinegar 180mL

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and set on a baking pan. Roast for 60 minutes, or until a knife easily pierces the beet. Set aside to cool.
While beets are cooling, put on a pot of salted water and bring to a simmer.
While you are waiting for the water to come to a simmer, prepare the ice bath: fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Set aside.
Add green beans, peas and shredded cabbage to the simmering water and cook for 3 minutes.
Remove from water with a slotted spoon or a spider (don't throw out the water) and plunge the bean mixture into the ice bath.
Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes, then add cauliflower to the carrots. Let them cook for a few minutes more until softened.
The goal is to soften the vegetables, they should still have a little resistance when you bite them. When carrot and cauliflower mixture is to your liking, drain and add to ice bath.
Remove all the vegetables from the water and set aside on clean kitchen towels to drain completely.
When beets have cooled enough to handle, peel them by rubbing the outside with your (gloved) hands or using a paper towel, and the skins will slip right off.
Dice the beets into small pieces, and add all of the vegetables to a large, non-aluminum bowl. Add the oregano, vinegars, sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste), mix to combine and refrigerate.
Stir vegetable mixture after an hour to ensure the vinegar has coated everything.
Taste vegetables and adjust seasoning if needed. Stir again, pack into containers and refrigerate.

Notes

When dicing your vegetables, try to keep everything a similar size. This makes for a better bite. You can get a little bit of everything.
Some people prefer to boil the beets, but I find roasting them makes them sweeter and much more delicious.
The flavors will develop overnight and it will be ready to devour the next day, but if you can wait an extra day, you will be rewarded with even tastier pickled vegetables.
This recipe yields approximately 2 quarts. You can halve the recipe for a smaller quantity.
Reminder to wear gloves when peeling beets if you don't want your hands to stain.

A note on salt – Not all salt is created equal. A teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs about 2.7 grams, Morton's kosher salt weighs a little over 5 grams for a teaspoon and table salt weighs 6 grams for a teaspoon. So, adjust accordingly, depending on what kind of salt you are using.

Nutrition