20kg Salted Cabbage: How Much Kimjang Seasoning to Use

For 20kg of salted napa cabbage, calculate the seasoning based on its weight after salting, not the number of heads. One recipe published by a public agency calls for 900g of red pepper powder. The seasoning ingredients, including radish and vegetables, total 7.4kg. Check the product label for the number of heads.

The seasoning quantities are based on the Nongsikpum Ollbaro recipe table and the Rural Development Administration's announcement dated November 15, 2013.

Steps for Calculating Kimchi-Making Quantities

The first step is to match the condition of the cabbage described on the product label to the condition specified in the recipe. Have the product details page and your chosen recipe table ready. You will also need a scale to weigh the ingredients.

1. Check whether the product weight refers to salted cabbage. Record the number of heads separately.
2. Check whether the recipe uses raw cabbage or salted cabbage.
3. Divide the weight you plan to prepare by the recipe's reference weight. The scaling factor for reducing a 50kg recipe to 20kg is 0.4.
4. Multiply every ingredient by the same factor. Do not mix in quantities of salted fermented seafood or red pepper powder from other recipes.
5. Distinguish between the amount of ingredients for homemade seasoning and the amount of ready-made seasoning to buy. For commercial products, follow the manufacturer's usage instructions.

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When calculating seasoning amounts, distinguish salted cabbage weight from the total weight with seasoning.

Raw Cabbage Weight and the Number of Salted Cabbage Heads

Raw cabbage weight and weight after salting are not the same basis for calculation. The weight changes during salting, washing, and draining. Heads are a unit of count, so their weight varies with cabbage size.

Nongsikpum Ollbaro's “Easy Kimchi-Making Method” uses cabbage of a specific size as an example. 20 heads of raw cabbage weighing 3.5kg each total 70kg. In this example, they weigh about 50kg after salting, washing, and draining. This ratio cannot be applied to all cabbage.

The information from Goesan and Haenam also gives the number of heads as a range. The figures below are those stated in each source. Do not treat them as guaranteed counts for the product you plan to buy.

Neither page specifies the year to which these figures apply. Check the current product options again when ordering. You must also distinguish between the number of cabbage halves and the number of whole heads.

Salted Cabbage Seasoning Ratios and Weight Conversion Table

The table below scales Nongsikpum Ollbaro's recipe for 50kg of salted cabbage. It is not based on 50kg of raw cabbage. Nor is it a universal formula for every kimchi-making recipe.

You can find the original recipe in the quantity table for “Easy Kimchi-Making Method”. The final total row is calculated by adding all the ingredients. Cabbage weight is excluded from this total.

• Leafy greens means the combined amount of ingredients such as water dropwort, scallions, garlic chives, mustard greens, and cheonggak seaweed. It does not mean adding the amount shown in the table for each ingredient.
• Salted fermented seafood is the total amount. This table does not give separate proportions for salted fermented shrimp and fish sauce.
• Glutinous rice paste is the weight of the cooked paste. Do not read it as the weight of dry glutinous rice or glutinous rice flour.

Calculation Example for One 20kg Box

Multiply each ingredient in the 50kg recipe by 0.4 to get the amount needed for one box. The red pepper powder calculation is 2,250g × 0.4 = 900g. Radish is calculated as 5,000g × 0.4 = 2,000g.

Adding the ingredients from red pepper powder through glutinous rice paste gives 4.4kg of base seasoning. Add 2kg of radish to this. Including 1kg of leafy greens brings the total preparation weight to 7.4kg.

The Rural Development Administration's announcement on developing a “Complete Kimchi Seasoning Mix” gives the following instructions.

Add 220g of seasoning mix per 1kg of salted cabbage

Rural Development Administration, “Development of a ‘Complete Kimchi Seasoning Mix’ That Saves Ingredients and Time”

This ratio also gives 20kg × 220g/kg = 4,400g. It matches the calculation for the base seasoning without vegetables. Record this separately from the total weight of the kimchi filling with vegetables mixed in.

Comparing Homemade and Commercial Seasoning

Buy commercial seasoning according to the cabbage weight specified for that product. Do not determine how much to use based only on the total weight of the homemade recipe. First, check whether the product includes radish and vegetables.

If the product shows only a total weight, check the contents list. The combined weight of cabbage and seasoning is not the weight of the cabbage alone. If there are no usage instructions, ask the seller how much cabbage the product is intended for.

Preparing Kimchi Containers and Recording Weights

Do not determine how much space you need for the finished kimchi based on cabbage weight alone. The combined weight of cabbage and seasoning ingredients in the example above is 27.4kg. This is calculated by adding 20kg and 7.4kg.

The actual packed weight will vary depending on factors such as leftover seasoning. Also, kg measures weight, while L measures volume. You therefore cannot directly convert 27.4kg into a capacity of 27.4L.

Record the actual amounts used for your next round of kimchi-making. This gives you a record to compare when buying the same product again. Recording both the cabbage's condition and the seasoning makes differences easier to interpret.

Common Mistakes When Washing and Draining

Do not decide whether to wash the cabbage based only on the product name. You also need to check how it was stored after delivery. Do not apply the same draining time to every product.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's “Use Salted Cabbage Safely During Kimchi-Making Season” gives the following usage instructions. This document was published on October 27, 2015.

1. Use it on the day of delivery if possible. Coliform bacteria may increase if it is stored at room temperature for at least 1 day.
2. If you have had to store it at room temperature for at least 1 day, wash it before use. Submerge it in water and gently rub the root area and between the leaves.
3. Then rinse it with water 2 times. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommends washing no more than 3 times in total. Excessive washing can damage the cabbage.
4. Check the product's draining instructions before preparing the seasoning. Calculate using the weight of cabbage in the same condition as specified in the cooking resource.

Common Misunderstandings When Calculating

Mixing figures based on different standards changes the amount you prepare. Do not take just the numbers from online answers. First, check the cabbage basis and which ingredients are included in the seasoning.