Gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)

The grind decides what it is for

• Coarse — for Kimchi. It does not clump in the brine and leaves visible flakes in the texture.
• Fine — for gochujang, marinades and broths. The colour bleeds fast and it blends smoothly.
• Medium — most stews and stir-fries. Kimchi Jjigae, Tteokbokki.

Coarse flakes in a marinade never integrate; fine powder in kimchi makes the brine cloudy and pasty.

It is not interchangeable with other chilli powders

Gochugaru is sun-dried Korean chilli, so it has more sweetness and aroma relative to its heat, and a brighter colour. Its capsaicin level is far below cayenne.

• Cayenne instead — much hotter. The same quantity is inedible; start with a third or a quarter.
• Paprika instead — similar colour and sweetness, almost no heat. Paprika plus a little cayenne is the closest approximation.
• American "chili powder" — a blend containing cumin and oregano. Not a substitute at all.

Frying it brings out the colour

Chilli's pigment (capsanthin) is fat-soluble, so a moment in hot fat deepens the colour and lifts the aroma. But ground spice burns in about thirty seconds, so add it just before the liquid — details in Blooming spices.

Storing

Colour and aroma degrade fast in this one.

• The freezer is the right answer. Sealed and frozen it holds its colour for close to a year.
• At room temperature it browns and goes flat within three to six months.
• Moisture makes it clump and mould. Only ever use a dry spoon.

Once the colour has gone past brick red to brown, the heat may remain but the aroma is essentially gone.