How to Use the Doenjang & Soy Sauce Ratio Calculator
Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) and ganjang (Korean soy sauce) are both made by soaking meju — a dried block of boiled, fermented soybeans — in brine. There's no equivalent home-fermentation tradition in American cooking, so this tool is built around the traditional Korean process: after fermenting, the liquid becomes soy sauce and the solids become soybean paste. Enter your meju weight and this calculator returns the water and salt needed based on a commonly used ratio.
A traditional guideline uses about 2.2 liters of water and 0.5 kg of salt per kilogram of meju, producing a brine with roughly 18-20% salinity. Salinity in that range matters: too low and unwanted bacteria can spoil the batch during fermentation, too high and fermentation slows down while the flavor turns overly salty.
The meju typically ferments in the brine for about 40-60 days before the liquid (raw soy sauce) is separated from the solids (soybean paste), with the exact timing adjusted for weather and the meju's condition. This calculator's ratio is a general reference — many households and regions in Korea have their own inherited proportions, so feel free to adjust to match a family recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Meju is a dried, fermented block made from boiled and mashed soybeans, traditional to Korean cuisine. It's soaked in brine, and after fermenting, the liquid becomes soy sauce (ganjang) and the solids become soybean paste (doenjang).
A commonly used traditional ratio is about 2.2 liters of water and 0.5 kg of salt per kg of meju. This is a general guideline and can vary by household or region.
Traditionally, the meju ferments in brine for about 40-60 days before the liquid (raw soy sauce) is separated from the solids (doenjang). The exact timing is adjusted based on weather and the meju's condition.