What exactly is a chili flake or red pepper flake?

[BAPyessir6]

Yes, I guess it's flakes of dried chili. But is "chili flake" or "red pepper flake" a specific pepper? Does it include the seeds or not?

I have a recipe (Chinese noodle dish I wanna make, called biang biang noodles. Basically noodles in a chili oil) that calls for chili flake/red pepper flake. The problem is, I don't know what that means. I have gochugaru (Korean chili flake), Aleppo chili flake, and red pepper flakes. I am wondering which to use (or which is proper!). Or is it just totally up to my own personal taste/heat preference?

Also, I feel like my red pepper flakes have way more seeds in them than my Aleppo/gochugaru chili flake has. Is it supposed to be like this?

A long question about chili flakes! Thanks all!

 

[taxlady]

Good question. I have seen a number of Chinese recipes that specify and what would be a reasonable substitute. But, that wasn't for the biang biang noodles. Maybe try looking at other recipes for those noodles.

 

[msmofet]

​

Amazon has this:​

Sichuan Chili Flakes, 8 oz - Traditional Red Pepper Spices and Szechuan Seasoning for Thai, Korean, Mexican, and Asian Dishes, Authentic Medium Hot Flavor for Kimchi, Pizza, Tacos, or Oils by Amazing Chiles and Spices ​

This is the red pepper flakes I use. I put them in a pepper grinder so it is a fine powder. (I like to have even heat instead of hot spots of flakes.) Hope this helps.

 

[Badjak]

In this case I would use a "generic" type, based on the heat you want.
Not something with too much of it's own taste like a madam jeanette (Surinam yellow).
Just cayenne orbird's eye or so

 

[msmofet]

Yes, I guess it's flakes of dried chili. But is "chili flake" or "red pepper flake" a specific pepper? Does it include the seeds or not?

I have a recipe (Chinese noodle dish I wanna make, called biang biang noodles. Basically noodles in a chili oil) that calls for chili flake/red pepper flake. The problem is, I don't know what that means. I have gochugaru (Korean chili flake), Aleppo chili flake, and red pepper flakes. I am wondering which to use (or which is proper!). Or is it just totally up to my own personal taste/heat preference?

Also, I feel like my red pepper flakes have way more seeds in them than my Aleppo/gochugaru chili flake has. Is it supposed to be like this?

A long question about chili flakes! Thanks all!

The seeds have a lot of heat.

 

[Andy M.]

I don't think it will make a big difference. The flakes will give the dish a spicy tang. A lot will give it more heat. I'd go with the Korean flakes.

 

[medtran49]

I'd go with the gochugaru as well.

Personally, I would never use scezhuan flakes for kimchi. They aren't even a true pepper.

When we make red pepper flakes at home, we use pequins. Since they are so small, it would take forever to seed them so there is always a high percentage of seeds.

 

[medtran49]

Oops post

 

[pepperhead212]

Those Szechwan crushed peppers are a type of cayenne pepper, like Thai Dragons, and similar, short, but not too short, peppers. "Crushed red pepper flakes" vary greatly, as to the peppers they use in them, as well as the heat in them. Those Szechwan pepper flakes are NOT the Szechwan peppercorns - they are chili peppers, as the label states; probably one of the varieties they grow in that region, and probably have better flavor and aroma, than the genetic varieties, found in pizza restaurants, which are also cayenne varieties, but they don't have much flavor - just heat, IMO.

The Korean flakes, or whole peppers, have a good flavor, but not as hot as the Szechwan types, which were about the same as the middle sized Thai peppers (the Thai birds are the smaller, much hotter ones, but less flavor, IMO) - my most used peppers, as they also seem to have the best flavor, in dishes where they are used fresh, green or red, dried red, crushed flakes, or powdered.

Years ago, when trying to find the "perfect pepper", for various things, a friend (another guy I got hooked on peppers!) and I tested several peppers Penzey's Spices sold, to see which would make the best Nam Prik Pao, and they were all incredibly different. The Tientsin and Dundicut (sp?) Were the hottest, but the least flavorful, while the Sanaam, at only 40k, was the best, and it seemed to be due to the extra sugar in it, as it caramelized much faster. And here was another interesting discovery - their 40k crushed red pepper flakes came in second for flavor, and almost as fast with the caramelization. The whole peppers from the Korean, Chinese, and Indian markets locally were not as good, for this, at least, and it took years to find a similar one I could grow - Aruna. Unfortunately, those Penzey's Sanaam peppers were sterile - probably irradiated - and that name is sort of a generic name, for Indian peppers.