These are green chili peppers that have ripened. They are tangier, a little sweeter, and a little less spicy. We use them in the garnishes of many sidedishes (banchan). You can substitute chopped or shredded red bell pepper.
- Other English name(s): red chilli
- Classified under: Fruits & Vegetables, Spices
- Romanized: Hong-gochu
- Other Korean name(s): 빨간고추 (bbalkangochu)
My cookbooks
Which to get? my first book has all the recipes for all the essential Korean pastes and sauces, but my second book Maangchi's Big Book of Korean Cooking has more recipes. Both are best sellers and either one is a good choice if you want to learn Korean home cooking.
Oh I found this page after I had posted on the Hot pepper flakes page. Well I will copy paste…
What type of fresh hot peppers do I buy? I’ve been getting these ones called “Finger Peppers” because they look similar to the ones used in Korean cooking. They are green at the store and if you wait a few days they turn red. But they are crazy spicy and I cannot handle more than the tiniest piece! Is this the right pepper and I’m just (as the Japanese would say) baka gaijin?
Finger peppers are a lot more spicy and not quite the same as Korean peppers. They’re also a bit smaller than Korean peppers.
If you don’t mind trying your hand at gardening (even just getting 5 gallon buckets & growing peppers in them), you can get some Guidilla peppers, which are about the closest you’ll come to Korean peppers. You’ll have to search around for some, as I got mine from Spain. Goat horn peppers would also work, just make sure they’re the ones that get 4-5 inches long, not the small hot ones. They’re also called “Sweet Spanish Long Peppers”..
Korean peppers (and most other Korean vegetables) are hybrid peppers, Guidillas are (well, can be) heirlooms. Hybrid means that you have to buy seeds over and over again every year to get the same type of pepper- an heirloom means you buy seeds one time and you can collect seeds from the best looking, matured peppers and save them for the next year. With peppers saving seeds easy.. You let the peppers grow to maturity (til they’re red) & pick the best looking ones- the longest, thickest ones that look the most like Korean peppers & then you save them, by setting them on your counter or some place where they can dry up. When they’re completely dried (don’t dehydrate them, let it happen naturally), you break them open and there’s your matured, ready to plant seeds for the next year. You do that every year & each year your plants will produce peppers more & more like Korean ones.
Check ebay for pepper seeds- they usually have a lot of them from various countries. Just make sure you buy heirlooms, unless you don’t mind buying the seeds every year. If you have leftovers, you can store them in the freezer. Keeping them frozen will extend their life significantly.
Hey! thank you so much for the super detailed comment! I was looking for a variety so I could grow them my own! <3 I started a patio garden and I am looking forward to grow some chilies to make gochu garu. Have an amazing day! and again thank you so much!