Kimchi Paste Ratio (Gochugaru to Saeujeot and Salt to Cabbage)

1 kg (baseline)

Napa cabbage (baechu) — Quartered, leaves separated for salting

20–30 g (2–3% of cabbage weight)

Kosher or coarse sea salt (not iodized) — Iodized salt inhibits LAB fermentation; coarse salt draws moisture more slowly and evenly

40–60 g per kg cabbage

Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) — Medium-grind for texture; fine-grind for a smoother, more uniform paste; defines heat and color

20–30 g per kg cabbage

Saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp) — Provides umami, amino acids, and fermentation catalysts; myeolchi-aekjeot (fish sauce) can partially substitute

10–15 g per kg cabbage

Garlic, minced — Aromatic baseline; typically 4–6 cloves per kg

5–8 g per kg cabbage

Fresh ginger, grated — Balances the heat; also mildly antimicrobial

5–10 g per kg cabbage

Sugar or glutinous rice paste (chapssal-pul) — Feeds LAB bacteria; rice paste creates a stickier paste that clings better to leaves

Weigh the trimmed cabbage. Dissolve salt in a small amount of water and massage into the cabbage leaves, or layer cabbage with dry salt in a large bowl. Let stand 1–2 hours (quick) or up to overnight, turning once, until leaves are pliable and have released significant brine. Rinse under cold water 2–3 times to remove excess salt; taste — it should be pleasantly salty, not aggressively so. Drain and squeeze dry. Combine gochugaru, saeujeot, garlic, ginger, and sugar (or cooled rice paste) into the yangnyeom paste. Working with gloved hands, coat every leaf thoroughly with paste. Pack tightly into clean jars or an onggi crock, pressing out air pockets. Leave 2–3 cm headspace for CO2 expansion. Ferment at room temperature (18–22 °C) for 1–5 days until pleasantly sour, then refrigerate.

• Always weigh salt relative to cabbage — volume measurements are imprecise because salt crystal size varies enormously between brands.
• The ideal salting end-point: a leaf should bend double without cracking; if it snaps, it was undersalted or over-dried.
• Rinse thoroughly — the post-salt rinse is where you control final salt level. Kimchi cannot be de-salted after paste application.
• Fermentation speed is temperature-dependent: 18 °C takes 3–5 days to sour; 25 °C can sour in 24–36 hours. Taste daily.
• Pressing the kimchi down beneath its own brine after each tasting retards surface yeast and mold growth.
• Fish sauce (myeolchi-aekjeot) can replace up to half the saeujeot for a less chunky paste and cleaner umami.
• Gochugaru quality is the single biggest variable — premium sun-dried Korean gochugaru is measurably fruitier and less bitter than supermarket substitutes.
• Mature kimchi (over 3 months refrigerated) is ideal for kimchi jjigae and kimchi pancakes where sourness is an asset.

• Geotjeori (fresh unfermented kimchi)

  Same paste ratio but served immediately without fermentation; salt to 1.5–2% only since no brine development occurs

• Vegan kimchi

  Omit saeujeot and fish sauce; use soy sauce (ganjang) at similar weight or doenjang for umami; fermentation still proceeds via surface LAB

• Kkakdugi (radish kimchi)

  Same 2–3% salt, same paste, but cut daikon into 2 cm cubes; ferments faster than cabbage due to cell structure

• Oi sobagi (stuffed cucumber kimchi)

  Very quick ferment (room temp 4–8 hours); paste ratio unchanged but cucumber's higher water content dilutes seasoning — increase gochugaru 20%

• Yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi)

  Lighter paste, lower gochugaru (2–3%), eaten young; common in spring

• Quick Pickle Brine (1:1:1)

  Acid-based instant alternative to LAB fermentation — entirely different mechanism but same goal of preservation via pH reduction

• Shio Koji (Salt to Koji Weight)

  Another enzyme-driven fermented condiment; salt concentration similarly critical

• Miso (Koji to Soybean Ratio)

  Long-fermented Korean/Japanese parallel — both rely on controlled salinity for LAB and/or koji activity

1. 1.The Kimchi Cookbook — Lauryn Chun (Ten Speed Press, 2012)
2. 2.My Korea — Hooni Kim (W. W. Norton, 2020)
3. 3.The Art of Fermentation — Sandor Ellix Katz (Chelsea Green, 2012)
4. 4.Korean Food Culture — Korean Food Foundation (2016)

Confidence: high