How to Make Kimchi Sour Enough for Korean Cooking

Kimchi has so many varieties. Based on what you want to cook, you need to use and prepare the correct kind if you want to get an authentic flavor in your dishes.

Even though your kimchi may be fermented, it may not have that deep sour flavor. To achieve a sour flavor, we need to raise the temperature of the kimchi for a short period of time.

For soups/stews or kimchi fried rice you need to have sour kimchi. Fresh kimchi will not give you that deep flavor that you taste when at a restaurant.

Besides the sourness of your kimchi, other factors that contribute to a deeper flavor in your kimchi soups are: using the correct seasoning ingredients, balancing the flavor of the kimchi with other ingredients, meat cuts you choose, and stir-frying your kimchi in oil as a step in your soup-making process.

So although there are other steps that influence that authentic flavor, I think one of the most important factors that improved my kimchi soup was using sour kimchi.

I have not seen “sour kimchi” sold at Korean markets so below I share how you can achieve sour kimchi.

How to Make Sour Baechu-kimchi (배추김치)

I will teach you how to make your kimchi sour based on store purchased kimchi

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Instructions

• Buy a container of cabbage kimchi.
You can buy whole or pre-cut cabbage kimchi.
You can use kimchi that you made and that has been fermenting in the fridge.
• Place the container in a cool, dark area with no direct sunlight. If it is in a clear container, cover it with a cloth.
Do not place it near sunlight or warm areas like the window.
• Leave it there for 3 days.
• After three days, put it back in the fridge.
• It will now have a sour flavor and can be used for cooking.
Make sure you keep the kimchi in the fridge after three days. Do not just leave it on your counter forever.