Chain Reaction Gochugaru Paste
Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) is the backbone of kimchi, tteokbokki, and every Korean spice paste. This version uses dehydrated Chain Reaction cabbage — a brassica that already carries 10,000 SHU. The result is a paste that's ready to become kimchi.
Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Servings
16
Peak SHU
10K
Featured Organisms
Ingredients
- 1 cup dehydrated Chain Reaction cabbage (SS-BRA-02), rehydrated
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 1 cup water
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- 1
Cook rice flour and water into a paste (porridge). Cool to room temp.
- 2
Combine rehydrated cabbage, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and sugar in a bowl.
- 3
Add the cooled porridge and mix thoroughly.
- 4
Use immediately as a kimchi base, or store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Tips
- This replaces gochugaru in any kimchi recipe.
- Meltdown cabbage (1K SHU) for a milder paste.
The rice flour porridge acts as a starch binder that feeds lactobacillus during kimchi fermentation. The cabbage's endogenous capsaicin replaces the need for external chili flakes, creating a single-organism spice paste.