How to Make Gochugaru
If you want to instantly add heat and peppery flavor to your favorite dishes then Gochugaru is for you! This fantastic Korean spice staple makes everything taste better, and it’s so easy to make!
If you love Korean cuisine then you probably already know and love Gochugaru. This vibrant powder is a key component of many beloved Korean dishes, and it’s so easy to make! You can craft delicious kimchi, cucumber salad, and so much more with this awesome red seasoning, which only takes minutes to make! Master making this delightful ingredient to unlock new worlds of spicy flavor!
Recipes you’ll want to try.
Chili Paste (Gochujang Recipe)
What is Gochugaru?
This excellent seasoning is a Korean food staple. Its bright color and delicious flavor add interest and spice to so many traditional Korean dishes. Gochugaru is a ground spice made from dried chili peppers. The peppers in this powdered spice are sun-dried and fully deseeded, so it’s not too hot.
Gochugaru is sometimes confused with gochujang, but they are not the same. Gochujang is a type of Korean chili paste and gochugaru is one of the key ingredients. You cannot make the popular chili paste without gochugaru’s wonderfully peppery flavor.
Its color is typically an orange-ish shade of red, and the flavor is truly delicious. The taste of gochugaru is bright and pepper-forward. There is spiciness in gochugaru but also notes of peppery sweetness make this spice totally tantalizing.
What You Will Love About Making Gochugaru!
- Nothing Beats Homemade!
Making things that are typically bought can be so rewarding, not to mention economical! This simple recipe lets you make your fantastic spice entirely from scratch. Making gochugaru from scratch is a great way to prevent waste and save some pennies.
Ambitious homesteaders can make this tasty spice to use their annual pepper yield, and crafty home cooks will love making an ingredient they can use repeatedly. There is nothing like the pride of homemade and no more accessible homemade component than gochugaru.
- Endless Applications!
This awesome ingredient can add a peppery pop to practically any dish you can imagine! It is a common staple ingredient in Korean cooking, but that doesn’t mean the flavor ends there! Everything tastes better with some spice, and this gochugaru has just the flavor you have been looking for!
You can use this delicious spice instead of traditional chili powder in some dishes or add it to spice blends for even more depth and complexity. The only limits to this seasoning’s flavorful potential are up to your culinary imagination!
- Easy to Store!
This recipe is the ultimate in ease. You can make the most mind-blowing spice with only one necessary ingredient and one essential piece of equipment! This recipe is so wonderful that you can dream of delicious Korean dishes and make a key ingredient within five minutes.
Not only is this recipe oh-so-easy to make, but the storage is as easy as it gets! Once you mix this delicious spice, it keeps for months of perfectly spiced dishes. This awesome method for making your gochugaru is the gift that keeps giving!
Ingredients for Gochugaru
- Dried Red Chilis –Traditionally gochugaru uses Cheongyang chili peppers. This is a medium variety of hot peppers. This type of pepper is very popular in South Korea. They get their name from Cheongyang county where they are abundant. This spicy type of pepper is related to traditional Korean chili peppers only much spicier.
Cheongyang chili peppers land at about 10,000 on the Scoville heat scale. This makes them hotter than a jalapeno but not as hot as a serrano pepper.
The chili peppers are typically dried in the sun. This helps to concentrate their flavor and enhances their natural sweetness. It’s the perfect way to get the best raw pepper flavor out of fresh pepper.
If you are a great gardener, growing Cheongyang chili peppers is an excellent idea because you will always be able to use the whole harvest thanks to this fantastic recipe!
Serranos and green chiles are great options if you can’t access Cheongyang chili peppers. Just be sure whatever chili pepper you use is dried.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Remove stems from dried chilis
- Place them in the coffee grinder and grind until powdered.
- Strain using a strainer.
- Discard the seeds.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- This recipe is straightforward to double or even triple!
- If you have a small grinder work in batches.
How to Use Gochugaru
Gochugaru is the key to many deliciously seasoned dishes for Korea and beyond. It can be used in everything from spice blends to soups and stews to meaty main dishes and much more!
You can take this homemade spice one step further by making the Korean classic gochujang (chili paste). Try my super simple recipe for this versatile and spicy paste.
You can use gochugaru in several traditional Korean dishes, including kimchi, dak galbi (Korean stir-fry), and even the vegetarian favorite of Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes).
For any dish you want to add a little spice and rich peppery flavor, try gochugaru!
How to Store Gochugaru
Gochugaru is a dried spice that can be stored similarly to other dried herbs. Keep your homemade gochugaru in an air-tight container. It can be stored at room temperature in a cool and dry place, like your spice drawer or shelf.
Optionally, you can store the spice in the fridge to extend its shelf life.
Homemade gochugaru does expire. After about three months at room temperature, the spice will lose flavor and quality. Gochugaru stored in the fridge will last up to 6 months before expiring.
Is Gochugaru Good For You?
Surprisingly spicy foods can make you very healthy! Peppers contain a chemical compound called capsaicin, and it has some powerful health benefits. Capsaicin is an anti-inflammatory and anesthetic, meaning it can be transformative for people with chronic pain.
In addition to packing plenty of healthy peppery power, gochugaru is rich in dietary fiber, iron, potassium, and vitamins. Plus, this delicious spice is naturally gluten-free and nut-free.
More Recipes You’ll Love
If you cannot get enough Korean cuisine, keep cooking with these delicious Korean-inspired dishes.
- Korean Fish Cake
- Air Fryer Korean Cheese Katsu
- Korean Beef Bowl
- Easy Beef Bulgogi Recipe
- Korean Potato Pancake
Equipment
- 1 coffee grinder
Ingredients
- 5 oz Dried Red Chilis
Instructions
- Remove stems from dried chilis
- Place them in the coffee grinder and grind until powdered. Strain using a strainer. Discard seeds. You can triple and double this recipe
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