Spice
Gochugaru
고춧가루
Also called Korean chilli flakes, Korean chili flakes, gochu-garu
Sun-dried Korean red chilli, crushed coarse or milled fine. It gives kimchi and tteokbokki their colour and fruit, not the flat burn of cayenne.
Origin
Korea, after New World chillies were selected for a milder, sun-dried fruit. Japanese togarashi and Chinese chilli flakes are different grinds and heat profiles.
Flavour
Smoky-sweet chilli with moderate heat and a dried-fruit warmth. It should smell of sun and pepper, not of dusty cupboard.
How it is made
Ripe Korean chillies are dried, seeded to varying degrees, then crushed. Taeyangcho is sun-dried and prized for colour; cheaper oven-dried flakes taste flatter.
How to use it
Bloom a spoon in oil for stews and tteokbokki so the colour stains the fat, or mix the flakes into kimchi paste with salted cabbage, garlic and ginger. Coarse gochugaru is what you want for kimchi texture; fine grind disappears into yangnyeom sauces. Do not swap cayenne at one-to-one — you will get heat without the fruit. If a stew looks pale, add more gochugaru, not more gochujang, unless you also want sweetness. Toast it only briefly; it burns to bitterness.
Storage
Fridge or freezer once opened, in a jar, or the colour fades to brick and the smell dies in a warm cupboard.
Recipes using it
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