Puffy bag & odd smell of gochugaru (red pepper flakes)
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elderflower79.
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- November 9, 2015 at 8:13 pm #65402
elderflower79ParticipantI bought a bag of gochugaru to use for tteokbokki. Before I even opened the bag for the first time, it puffed up like a balloon. I opened it, closed it with a clip, and put it in the cabinet (not fridge). Today I made tteokbokki, only to realize after that the flakes smell weird – almost fermented. And the tteokbokki has a mild sour flavor. Is this normal? This is my first attempt at buying gochugaru and making tteokbokki, and now I am scared to eat it. What is gochugaru supposed to smell like? And does it sound like mine went bad?
- November 11, 2015 at 10:27 am #65417EvilGrinParticipant
My pepper flakes come in a vacuum sealed ziplock type bag and i always store them in the freezer.
Peppers ferment very easy when air and moisture are present. Ive got a quart jar im intentionally fermenting now for hot sauce.
- November 11, 2015 at 8:39 pm #65425MaangchiKeymaster
EvilGrin: thanks for answering, you are right.
elderflower79: the puffy bag makes me suspicious to begin with, it shouldn’t be puffy. Also the fact that it is sour sounds like it’s fermented. Real hot pepper flakes should taste spicy and sweet.
I would throw away the flakes and the tteokbokki. Be sure to check the expiration date of the flakes before you buy them next time.
- November 11, 2015 at 9:27 pm #65429elderflower79Participant
Gotcha! Thank you both for the reply! I’ll toss the bag and grab a new one and store it in the freezer. I had no idea dried pepper can go bad in that way.
Thanks again!
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