The spicy taste of many Korean foods largely comes down to one key ingredient: gochugaru (red chili flakes or red pepper powder). Gochugaru is made by drying Korean red chili peppers under the sun, deseeding them, and then crushing them into flakes.

Gochugaru is one of the most essential ingredients in Korean cooking. It can not be replaced with chili flakes or sauces from other places when it comes to cooking authentic Korean food. These flakes are usually vibrant red, coarse in texture, and fairly spicy in taste with a hint of sweetness

The fine powder is used to make gochujang, kimchi, tteokbokki, jjamppong, etc., and other stew dishes for better color and smooth texture.