# Korean Chili substitute.



## Rocklobster

I have just chopped up the Napa for a batch of Kimchi I am going to make today. I don't have any actual Korean powdered chili. But, I have many other kinds. What would be similar? I have cayenne, red pepper flakes, two different kinds of indian chili powder, sambal olek, Chinese chili in oil. I even have some Habanero powder. How hot is the Korean stuff? I would like to get close to the authentic. I think I may go with this Pul Biber stuff from Turkey, because it is a bit milder than the others.


----------



## spork

sambal, with extra garlic powder, rock, i'm not familiar with pul biber, kimchi is very potent stuff, not meant to be eaten without main starch


----------



## Claire

It is SO hard to say "how hot", it is so subjective.  The main thing about Korean chili flakes for kimchee is that it has no seeds.  That said, in absence I have used just about everything you have mentioned, except the Chinese chili in oil  I think that my best luck has been red pepper flakes; that's closest to the pepper I've bought that is produced for the purpose (I've also used Vietnamese chile garlic sauce).  The Korean kimchee chili I've bought at Asian markets was not a powder, but the flakes minus the seeds.  

As I said, the heat is up to you.  This isn't something you make now and eat in an hour.  Go modest, let sit for a day (enough for the chili flakes to reconstitute), give it a taste.  If it isn't hot enough, then go ahead and add one of the chili powders.

Some of the Korean stuff is knock your socks off.  The last bag I bought was very mild (remember, subjective ... to me) and I wound up adding chili powder that I think was from India, to heat it up.

All of the Koreans I've met and shared Kimchee with were in this country and had lived here for years.  They made kimchee out of just about anything they could find.  Most interesting was one made from boiled potatoes .  Think a very, very zippy potato salad.  Least favorite are the fishy ones.


----------



## spork

I've also used Viet chile-garlic, and always have la-yu chinese chili in oil tableside, but my frig usually has a 6oz bottle of kimuchi marinade that lasts nearly half a year, doesn't take much of it for even half a head of napa.


----------



## Steve Kroll

Gochugaru is what's normally used for Kimchi. Because of the way it's prepared, there really isn't a substitute. Given what you have available, I would use a mix of the Indian chili powder and cayenne, using the Indian powder to provide sweetness and the cayenne to adjust the heat. Maybe a 3 to 2 blend, depending on how hot you like your kimchi. If you have any Spanish smoked paprika on hand, you might even toss in a pinch to give it a little bit of a smoky flavor.


----------



## spork

also a shot of straight vinegar.  i like my kimchi raw, but most people shock their cabbage.


----------



## powerplantop

Claire said:


> It is SO hard to say "how hot", it is so subjective.  The main thing about Korean chili flakes for kimchee is that it has no seeds.  That said, in absence I have used just about everything you have mentioned, except the Chinese chili in oil  I think that my best luck has been red pepper flakes; that's closest to the pepper I've bought that is produced for the purpose (I've also used Vietnamese chile garlic sauce).  The Korean kimchee chili I've bought at Asian markets was not a powder, but the flakes minus the seeds.
> 
> As I said, the heat is up to you.  This isn't something you make now and eat in an hour.  Go modest, let sit for a day (enough for the chili flakes to reconstitute), give it a taste.  If it isn't hot enough, then go ahead and add one of the chili powders.
> 
> Some of the Korean stuff is knock your socks off.  The last bag I bought was very mild (remember, subjective ... to me) and I wound up adding chili powder that I think was from India, to heat it up.
> 
> All of the Koreans I've met and shared Kimchee with were in this country and had lived here for years.  They made kimchee out of just about anything they could find.  Most interesting was one made from boiled potatoes .  Think a very, very zippy potato salad.  Least favorite are the fishy ones.



Claire, good advice I have had mild Gochugaru and some that was really spicy.


----------



## powerplantop

Steve Kroll said:


> Gochugaru is what's normally used for Kimchi. Because of the way it's prepared, there really isn't a substitute. Given what you have available, I would use a mix of the Indian chili powder and cayenne, using the Indian powder to provide sweetness and the cayenne to adjust the heat. Maybe a 3 to 2 blend, depending on how hot you like your kimchi. If you have any Spanish smoked paprika on hand, you might even toss in a pinch to give it a little bit of a smoky flavor.




That mix with some smoked paprika would make a nice Kimchi.


----------



## powerplantop

spork said:


> also a shot of straight vinegar.  i like my kimchi raw, but most people shock their cabbage.



Please no vinegar in the kimchi. The sour should come from fermentation. Adding vinegar is not the same.


----------



## Claire

Shock as is boiling it?  Never seen that done.  Salt, weigh, and drain for a day.  Taste.  If too salty, rinse and drain again.  Then the garlic and green onions and pepper.  This is how I was taught by friends.


----------



## buckytom

rock, i would use maangchi's method and make a porridge of sweet rice flour, red pepper flakes, fish sauce, and other ingredients to make cabbage kimchi. i'm sure you can get the ingredients she suggests. i made it once and it was fantastic.

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi 

i did think that i'd add powdered cayenne the next time since i like it hotter.


----------



## Rocklobster

Thanks, everybody. Just as many recipes as there are people making it. I went with this recipe yesterday. How to Make Kim Chi  and used this hot pepper Aleppo pepper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. I like a lot of your suggestions, and will try them out next time I do up a batch. I rarely make the same things twice and am always looking for a way to improve on things. It should be ready later today.


----------



## Claire

A friend came over last night with his latest cuillinary taste venture.  He'd gone to an Asian grocery and bought radish kim chee.  Said it really stunk.  I opened it ..... just smelled like kim chee to me.  SO it now lives in my fridge.  Husband got a brainstorm and I'm going to try it.  Kabobs made with beef cubes marinaded in bulgogi marinade, strung with the radish kimchee.


----------



## CWS4322

I made Kimchi for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I sort of followed the recipe that BuckyTom posted. I loved it. The DH loved it and we plan on exploring doing larger batches when the cabbage is ripe in the garden. We don't plant Nappa (although I'm tempted). I used regular cabbage to make it.


----------

