KOREA · FOOD
Kimchi Recipe Calculator
Making kimchi at home outside Korea? Enter your napa cabbage weight to scale a Korean standard seasoning recipe, with tips for ingredients you can find abroad.
Scale your kimchi
For 5 lb of napa cabbage
- 2.5 oz Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 oz Minced garlic
- 0.5 oz Minced ginger
- 3 oz Fish sauce and salted shrimp
- 5 oz Sweet rice porridge
- 0.5 oz Sugar
- 0.5 oz Sesame seeds
How the amounts are worked out
The seasoning follows the standard ratio from Korea’s Rural Development Administration, given as a share of the salted cabbage weight. Fresh cabbage is converted to salted weight first. Only the chili flakes change with the heat level.
Fill your container to about 80% so the kimchi has room as it ferments.
Frequently asked questions
What can I use instead of Korean radish?
Daikon radish is the usual substitute and works well.
Why does the calculator ask for fresh cabbage weight?
That is what you buy. Salting draws out water, so about 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) of fresh cabbage becomes about 2.5 kg (5.5 lb). Seasoning amounts are based on the salted weight.
More tools
Sources and last updated
- Standard seasoning ratio: Rural Development Administration (Nongsaro), napa cabbage kimchi (in Korean)
- Fill containers to 80%: Samsung Electronics Service (in Korean)
- Ingredient substitutes are suggestions for shopping abroad.
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