Gochugaru is Korean dried red pepper, sold as coarse flakes or a fine powder, and it is the single ingredient that makes kimchi taste like kimchi rather than like spicy pickled cabbage. It is made from red chillies that are dried, usually deseeded, and then ground, and the result is fruity, faintly smoky and warm rather than fierce. Swap it for something else and the dish changes character completely, which is why every kimchi recipe worth following insists on it.
It is also one of those ingredients that is much easier to understand once you have handled it. The colour is startling, a deep glowing red that stains everything it touches, and the smell when you open a bag is sweet and sun dried rather than sharp. Here is what it is, how it behaves, why nothing in the average British spice rack quite stands in for it, and how it works in a kimchi making kit.
What exactly is gochugaru?
Gochugaru is made from Korean red chillies that are dried, traditionally in the sun, then deseeded and ground. Sun drying is not just tradition for its own sake, since a slow dry in daylight develops a sweeter, deeper flavour than fast machine drying, which is part of why good gochugaru tastes of more than heat.
Removing the seeds matters too. Seeds and the pith they attach to carry a disproportionate share of the burn, so taking them out gives a pepper that delivers colour and flavour without the harshness. That is exactly what you want in a paste you are going to eat by the forkful across a whole week.
You will also meet gochujang, which is a thick fermented chilli paste made with gochugaru, glutinous rice and soybeans. The names look similar and the two are not interchangeable. Gochugaru is the dry ingredient; gochujang is a condiment built from it.
What does gochugaru taste like, and how hot is it?
Fruity first, then sweet, with a gentle smokiness and a warm heat that builds slowly instead of hitting all at once. Compared with the chillies most British kitchens keep, it sits in comfortable middle ground: hotter than paprika, considerably milder than cayenne, and with far more flavour than either.
That moderate heat is what allows kimchi to carry so much of it. A paste made with a fierce chilli would be inedible in the quantities gochugaru is used in, whereas gochugaru can coat every leaf generously and still leave room for the garlic, ginger and the sourness that fermentation brings.
Heat levels vary between harvests and producers, mild and hot grades both exist, and how much you use is entirely yours to control. If you would rather your kimchi were gentler, simply add less of the dried red pepper to the paste.
Can you substitute anything for gochugaru?
Not really, and this is the part worth taking seriously if you want a result that tastes right.
- Chilli powder in the British sense is usually a blend containing cumin, garlic and oregano, which will send your kimchi somewhere entirely different.
- Cayenne is far hotter and much thinner in flavour, so the quantity a kimchi paste needs would be painful.
- Paprika gives you the colour and the sweetness but almost none of the heat or the fruit.
- Crushed red pepper flakes include the seeds, are drier and sharper, and do not soften into a paste in the same way.
The texture matters as much as the flavour. Gochugaru rehydrates into the porridge and aromatics to form a paste that clings to every leaf. Whole flakes or coarse dried seeds sit on the surface instead, so the seasoning ends up patchy.
Which is the practical reason our Kimchi Making Kit supplies the Korean dried red pepper along with the other specialist ingredients, the sweet rice flour for the porridge and the dried seaweed powder, plus gloves and a fermentation bag. From your own kitchen you add a Chinese leaf cabbage, salt, sugar, garlic, ginger, a quarter of an onion and a couple of spring onions.
How is gochugaru used in kimchi?
It goes into the paste, which is the heart of the recipe. First you make the porridge, heating sweet rice flour with sugar and water until it is thick and shiny, about the consistency of natural yoghurt, then cooling it. Then you mix that cooled porridge with minced garlic, ginger and onion, the seaweed powder and the dried red pepper.
The porridge is the glue. It binds the chilli paste together and carries it into every fold of the cabbage, which is why kimchi ends up evenly seasoned rather than spotted with dry powder. Mince the aromatics as finely as you can, since the finer the mince, the better the paste.
Then glove up. This is not optional advice, because chilli oils cling to skin and sting badly if you later touch your face, and the kit includes gloves for exactly this reason. Work the paste through the drained cabbage and sliced spring onion, pack it into the fermentation bag and squeeze out as much air as you can, then let it ferment in the fridge for five to seven days.
What happens next is the good part. Lactobacillus bacteria convert the natural sugars in the cabbage into lactic acid, which preserves the kimchi and gives it that distinctive tang, growing stronger the longer it ferments. The chilli is not doing the preserving, it is doing the flavouring, and the two together are what make a jar of kimchi more than the sum of its parts.
How should you buy and store it?
Buy it in a sealed bag from a Korean or Asian grocer or a good online source, and look for a bright, deep red rather than a dull brownish one, which suggests age or heat damage. Coarse flakes are the standard for kimchi, while the finer powder is more often used in sauces and stews.
Store it sealed, cool and dark, away from the hob. Ground chilli loses colour and aroma faster than whole spices do, and a bag left open in a sunny kitchen for a year makes a duller kimchi. A spare corner of the freezer keeps it in good condition for longer.
Once opened, treat any leftovers the way you would treat the kit's own sachets: reseal them properly and keep them somewhere cool and dry. Good gochugaru is far too useful to let fade, since it goes into stews, marinades, dressings and anything that wants warmth and colour rather than raw heat.
Gochugaru FAQs
Is gochugaru very spicy?
It is moderate, hotter than paprika but much milder than cayenne, with fruit and smoke alongside the heat. You control the strength of your kimchi by how much of it goes into the paste.
What is the difference between gochugaru and gochujang?
Gochugaru is dried ground Korean red pepper. Gochujang is a thick fermented paste made with gochugaru, rice and soybeans, and the two are not interchangeable in a kimchi recipe.
Can I make kimchi without gochugaru?
You can make a fermented cabbage pickle, and it may well be delicious, but it will not taste like kimchi. The Korean dried red pepper is what defines the flavour.
Is Korean dried red pepper vegan?
It is, and so is our whole kimchi kit, which is vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and lactose free. Many traditional kimchi recipes include fish sauce or shrimp paste, but the kit does not.
Do I really need to wear gloves?
Yes. Chilli oils cling to your hands long after washing and sting badly if you touch your eyes or face, which is why the kit includes gloves for the mixing stage.
Ready to make a proper batch? Take a look at our kimchi making kits.
