Korean Red Chile Flakes

Our new favorite all-purpose Korean seasoning from our friends at Épices de Cru!

Épices de Cru Tins of Korean Red Pepper Flakes
Photo by Épices de Cru

Korean pepper has a fine aroma, mild heat profile and gives a radiant red coloring to your dishes. Pungent with just a touch of heat; essential to Korean cooking. A versatile pepper that can be used during cooking or as a garnish on any number of fish, meat and vegetable recipes.

These special chiles started coming in from Korea to Epices de Cru in Quebec and they’re very close to the best of what Ji Hye had growing up. The Korean pepper is grown by a family company whose quest to make ever-better kimchi led them to grow and process their own chile powder. It’s grown around Cheongsong, a well-known pepper growing region in the East.

We use these pepper flakes at Miss Kim for our kimchi and a whole range of other dishes. At my house, they’re on the kitchen table next to the Fleur de Sel sea salt and the grinder filled with Épices de Cru’s Tellicherry black pepper #10. All three get used at literally almost every meal. Last month I broke down and bought a one-kilo bag of the chiles because we’re going through them so fast. They’re great on almost everything! I sprinkle the chile flakes on salads, soups, pasta dishes, fish…you name it, it’s good! I love the fact that the chile has some spice, but not too much, a nice undertone of sweetness but, again, not too much. They’re really sort of magically addictive. A flavor that makes me think of what Maria Popova (check out her exceptional blog, “Brain Pickings”) calls “that rare miracle of insight at the meeting point of the lucid and the luminous.”

P.S.: You can also enjoy these great chiles on the Sweet Chili Peanuts that Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory makes! Terrific taste treat before dinner or for snacks. Great tossed on salads or noodle dishes. Perfect for plane rides, terrific on trains, can’t take a long car ride without ‘em!!
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See A Recipe For Korean Pepper Butter!

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