The market · Chillies and peppers · East Asia
Gochugaru
Korean red pepper flakes: fruity, sweetish, bright red, with moderate heat.
fruity · sweet · smoky
What to do with it
KoreanKimchi jjigaeA stew of old, sour kimchi simmered with pork belly and tofu until the broth turns deep red and savoury.No one here has made it yetKoreanKongnamul gukbapRice in a clear, hot soup of soybean sprouts and anchovy stock, with an egg — Jeonju's morning bowl, and its cure for the night before.No one here has made it yetKoreanDwaeji gukbapRice in a milky pork-bone broth with slices of boiled pork, seasoned at the table with salted shrimp, garlic chives and a red chilli paste.No one here has made it yetKoreanGogi guksuThick wheat noodles in a rich, cloudy pork-bone broth, under thick slices of boiled pork — Jeju's noodle soup, once made for feasts.No one here has made it yetKoreanDakgalbiChicken in a gochujang marinade, stir-fried at the table on a wide iron pan with cabbage, sweet potato, rice cakes and perilla — and rice fried in what's left.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Coarse
- Flakes, for kimchi and stews.
- Fine
- Powder, for gochujang and smooth sauces.
If you can't find it
Korean grocers, in big bags — keep it in the freezer.
- Anywhere but kimchiThe sameYou lose little — mild, fruity and red too.
- The sameYou lose the smoky sweetness; finer, so it clouds a kimchi.
- Three parts paprika to one of chilli flakeYou lose depth and the coarse texture.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Korean grocers. Sun-dried (taeyangcho) is the prized kind. Keep it in the freezer.
- Worth knowing
- Not interchangeable with chilli powder or cayenne — they're far hotter and less sweet.