We are so in love with our kimchi juice that we wanted to share with you a whole load of great ways to use it. But first, we should probably explain what kimchi juice actually is. We don't put our kimchi through a juicer, if that's what you're thinking! But actually that would probably give us something similar, since our kimchi juice contains all the flavour, live microbes and tangy-punch that our kimchi has!
Essentially, kimchi juice is the leftover brine or liquid from when we make kimchi, this means it's fermented just as long as kimchi is so has all the benefits you get from food fermentation, including that it's alive! Since it doesn't contain the whole vegetables it's super versatile and is great for knocking up cocktails, cooking or even just for a spicy pick-me-up morning shot. Here are five of our favourite ways to use kimchi juice:
1. Drinks
Do you like a Bloody Mary? If you've never had a kimchi Bloody Mary then you need to get your hands on our kimchi juice and get cracking. The sour-spice added to the tomatoey concoction makes a cracking breakfast or hangover-curing drink (guarantee not included).
Or if cocktails aren't your thing you can get your daily dose of live microbes with a shot of kimchi juice, added to your morning juice or just on its own.
2. Salad dressings
Mix in a jar with your oil of choice - for Asian flavours which is what we mostly use kimchi juice with, we go with sesame oil - balance with some sweetness from maple syrup or honey and bang, salad dressing done.
3. Marinades
We've used kimchi juice either as a mariande by itself or in combination with oil, soya sauce, miso and the like to mariande tofu and tempeh before frying to perfection. If you're of the meat-eating variety kimchi juice would add a spicy kick to beef strips or chicken thighs. No need to add extra salt since kimchi juice supplies all the salty seasoning you'll need.
4. Asian-inspired dishes
The possibilities for using kimchi juice in Asian cooking are really as endless as your willingness to experiment (or eat!). Kimchi juice adds a punch of flavour to stir-fries, fried rice and ramen noodle soups. It's such an easy way to add ginger, garlic and chilli flavours without the need for any chopping. The Guardian also recently had a recipe for the perfect kimchi pancakes, featuring kimchi juice. Man they know what's good huh?
5. Starter
Since kimchi juice contains living microbes you can use it to kick-start fermentation of other foods. We've got a recipe for an amazing fermented vegan cheese alternative made with cashews which kimchi juice lends a spicy hit and some live microbes to.
Other ferments you could add a dash of kimchi juice to are fermented chillies or brined vegetables. Kimchi brined garlic? Yes please. Or if you were very desperate for your batch of kimchi to be ready you could add some kimchi juice to your pre-fermented vegetables and let those microbes do their magic.
If you use your kimchi juice for something else or just want to share your favourite recipes, get in touch on Instagram I Facebook