Kimchi Juice as a Pantry Acid

The bright pink-orange brine left in a jar of kimchi is one of the most useful liquids in the kitchen. It is tangy, salty, slightly funky and packed with the chili-garlic-ginger profile of the original kimchi — a one-shot acid plus seasoning. Rather than tipping it down the sink, splash it into stir-fry sauces to pump up the acid, whisk into vinaigrettes for slaws, marinate proteins like chicken or tofu, brighten cold noodle soups, or use it as the acid in a Bloody Mary. It will keep refrigerated almost indefinitely. The juice from older, more fermented kimchi is the most assertive — adjust to taste.