Should I add white vinegar to kimchi?

When it comes to kimchi, many people’s first reaction is Korean kimchi. Indeed, Korean kimchi has gained a good reputation in many regions. In fact, Chinese pickled vegetables have many similarities with kimchi. Kimchi uses some seasonings to make ordinary vegetables become sour, spicy and refreshing. Many people who have no appetite love kimchi very much. However, some novices will wonder whether they need to add white vinegar when making kimchi. They don’t understand whether the sourness of kimchi is due to white vinegar or natural fermentation.

The principle of making kimchi is through the fermentation of lactic acid bacteria in the kimchi water, which is a natural fermentation method. Only in this way can the kimchi pickled reflect the original style. The most acidic component of vinegar is acetic acid. The processed sauerkraut tastes astringent and is not as pure as the naturally fermented one. If you want to speed up the fermentation or feel it is not sour enough, there are two solutions. One is to reduce the amount of salt, and the other is to increase the amount of pickled ingredients.

1. The trick to making kimchi is not to make the raw water for the first time, but to maintain the dynamic balance of the brine acidity at all times thereafter. If you feel that the brine is not acidic enough, you can take out the reserved water from the refrigerator and add some to the jar to promote fermentation. If the salt water is too acidic, it is advisable to pour out some of the salt water and add appropriate amount of clean water and salt.

2. Sometimes you will see white flowers in the bottle, you can pour a few drops of white wine into it. Generally speaking, you can use mustard greens, radish (preferably the peel), cabbage, cowpea, celery, etc.

3. If you want to pursue high-end and sophisticated food, you can use Jerusalem artichokes, bamboo shoots, and young ginger. There is one more step required: soak it in light salt water overnight, then put it into the kimchi jar, and it can be eaten within one day. The standard for a good one is bright color, mellow taste (not too sour), slightly spicy and crispy.

4. Cucumbers can also be soaked, but you need to use a separate bottle. Because cucumbers can easily spoil the salt water. After soaking, it can be eaten at room temperature overnight.

5. The kimchi that has been soaked for a long time can be put into bone soup to make sauerkraut soup, which tastes very delicious. You can also add fresh fish slices into it, which is the so-called pickled fish, a popular new Sichuan dish.

6. The discarded salt water can be used as mother water for other households.

7. The key to making kimchi is to avoid oil and bacteria. Therefore, the kimchi jar should be cleaned and dried before use; the lid of the kimchi jar should be sealed with water to prevent air from entering and breeding bacteria; the tools used to take kimchi from the jar must be dedicated each time and must not be contaminated by oil.