Gochugaru — Korean red pepper flakes

Gochugaru (고춧가루) comes from gochu (chili pepper) plus garu (powder). In English it usually means the seedless Korean chili powder. Wikipedia describes it as vibrant red, with a texture from fine powder to flakes and a heat from mildly hot to very hot.

Traditionally it is made from sun-dried Korean red peppers (taeyangcho). Cheongyang chili gochugaru is described as finer and hotter.

Wikipedia lists its flavor as spicy, sweet and slightly smoky, which is why it adds more than plain heat. It goes into kimchi, stews and seasoned side dishes.

On K for All, our Tteokbokki recipe uses it, and our Sundubu recipe stir-fries 1–3 teaspoons of it with pork, kimchi and garlic before the broth goes in.

For kimchi, buy the coarse grind. The Taekyung bag below is labeled as kimchi powder in flakes. Finer grinds suit sauces and seasoning pastes. Pick a bright red color rather than a dull purplish or brown one, which can mean it is old.

Heat and color fade over time, so seal the bag. The Taekyung brand suggests refrigerating it after opening, and freezing the amount you will not use soon is a common way to keep it fresh.

Generic chili powder is not the same: in English, gochugaru means the seedless Korean chili powder, so a substitute changes the taste and the heat. It is also not gochujang, the fermented paste.