‘Kimchi, Tteokbokki, Budaejjigae (sausage stew)….’ What do these dishes that foreigners like have in common? That is, they all contain Gochutgaru (chili powder). With the recent Hallyu (Korean Wave) craze abroad, making Korean food is also becoming popular. This has also made Korean Gochutgaru a popular product on Shopee, with many photos of Kimchi left behind on reviews as if they were engaged in a cooking contest.
 

#Gochutgaru, Use It Like This

Characterized by its spicy taste, Gochutgaru is made by drying and grinding red chili peppers. It is fine Gochutgaru if grinded a lot and are coarse Gochutgaru grinded a little. Gochutgaru is a key ingredient in Korean food, contained in all Korean dishes with a red color. This is the same for Gochujang (red chili paste). In addition to Tteokbok-ki and Kimchi that are now widely known abroad, Gochutgaru is also needed to make simple side dishes like Kongnamulmuchim (bean sprout salad) and Musaengchae (julienne radish fresh salad). So, each household in Korea has Gochutgaru and uses it every time to cook. The shelf life is also long, generally lasting up to one year and can be stored for up to two years. Gochutgaru must be sealed so that it does not come into contact with air and have light blocked so it does not deteriorate. Another way is to divide it into small portions and store them in the freezer.

#Popularity of Gochutgaru along Kimchi Craze

The reasons Shopee consumers purchase Korean Gochutgaru were not much different from Koreans. They mostly purchased them to make Korean food, and many of them also especially left photos of their homemade Kimchi. Also, the higher popularity of salt for Kimchi-making seems to indicate that the popularity of Kimchi in Southeast Asia has aroused the psychology of consumers’ desire to make Kimchi on their own. Reviews by consumers who bought Gochutgaru for the second time to make Kimchi and lefted photos of homemade Kimchi with self-praises that they were delicious stood out. Other eye-catching reviews were sprinkling Gochutgaru on French fries and saying, “I haven’t made Kimchi yet, but used Gochutgaru as a seasoning for meat.” Let’s check out consumers’ various dishes using Gochutgaru.

#Try ‘Real’ Korean Kimchi

However, making Kimchi at home is not an easy task because to get the right flavor, you need various ingredients such as Saeujeot (salted shrimp), minced garlic, and pear juice, and it is very tiring since it is a lot of work. Also, you may especially not be able to feel the true taste of Korean Kimchi that come in many varieties. There are dozens of Kimchi types in Korea, including Pakimchi (greenonion Kimchi, Oikimchi (cucumber Kimchi) and Gatkimchi (leaf mustard Kimchi). Let’s try various finished Kimchi products in Korea and find one that suits your taste.