How to make sour water without old sour water

Kimchi has a very unique flavor, and there is a tradition of making kimchi in many places in China. Making kimchi is not very troublesome, but there is a key point. The sour water must be prepared well. If you make kimchi frequently, you will have enough sour water. You can use the previous sour water to make the new kimchi, which can reduce a lot of trouble, but it is inevitable when making it for the first time. So, how to make sour water without old sour water? Let’s take a closer look below.

1. Cut off oil and water

Do not add oil or raw water to the kimchi water, otherwise the lactic acid bacteria will die in large numbers and white foam will be produced. This is what people often call bad water. In order to avoid this situation, the following four points should be strictly controlled during operation:

First, the kimchi jar needs to be washed, blanched, and drained before use to ensure that there is no oil or raw water inside; second, the water should be boiled and cooled before being put into the jar to make salt water, and tap water should not be used directly; third, the vegetables must be taken out of the mold before being put into the jar, this step is very critical; fourth, special gloves or chopsticks should be used to scoop up the vegetables, and they cannot be taken at will.

2. Avoid air

A special jar is used to pickle kimchi, which has a bowl on the mouth and a water trough around it. When brewing, it is best to fill the jar with raw materials. After taking out the vegetables, add new materials in time, leaving as little space as possible. The salt water should be close to the mouth of the jar and submerge the vegetables. Then pour cold boiled water into the sink, cover with a bowl to block out air, and store in a cool, ventilated, light-proof place. When the water level at the edge of the jar drops due to evaporation, replenish it in time.

3. Add flavor according to ingredients

When soaking, add 50 grams of salt and 5 grams of sugar for every pound of fresh vegetables. After putting the vegetables into the jar, pour a bottle cap of white wine on it. After putting in five times of vegetables, add the spice bag again.

4. Clean regularly

Pickles need to be kept fresh all the time so that the brine can maintain its vitality. The jar needs to be cleaned every two or three months, all the old kimchi pressed at the bottom of the jar should be taken out, the residue should be filtered out, and then new kimchi should be put in for pickling.

5. Remedial measures

When pickling vegetables, put some bamboo shoots and cut them in half, which can keep the water in the jar from growing flowers for half a year. If the salt water is not properly maintained and white foam appears, you can pour in some high-proof liquor to kill the flowers.