Korean Red Pepper Extract?

[nessa]

I have recently discovered Korean food and have been having a lot of fun exploring in the local Korean Grocery. I came across this large <at least 750ml> bottle of Red Pepper Extract. Ingredients: 100% red peppers.

So..... What do I do with it? Is it just used to make things spicier? How spicy is it, and do I REALLY need a huge honkin' bottle of it? I did not see a small one to try.

Do I need to handle it like it is HAZMAT worthy?

[nakji]

Can I ask what the name of it was? Korean chilis are hot, but not incredibly so - I've always thought the Thais chilis were much hotter. I find they have a nice smoky flavour. In Korea, I saw most home cooks use gochu garu (dried red pepper flakes - not like the kind at pizza places, but a finer grind) or gochujang, which was red pepper paste. There's a slightly runnier sauce, made with gochu and vinegar, but it's thick, bright red, and almost mistakable for ketchup - mainly used for bibimnaengmyeon; seafood dipping; sometimes bibimbap...does it look like this? If so, it's really yummy mixed up with thinly sliced fresh veggies and cold noodles (such as soba). If you like spicy things, I don't think you'll find it over-the-top spicy.

[nessa]

I don't know the name, I'll try and check on that soon. This was like water, really really thin and very very dark red. There did not appear to be any "pulp" or anything.

[ZenKimchi]

It sounds to me like a Korean take on Tabasco Sauce. I've seen the occasional bottle in stores but not in restaurants. I've bought a few a couple of times. My guess is that it's used to enhance dishes the same way other hot sauces are. The main difference is that Tabasco and Thai chiles (as Nakji pointed out) hit you in the face right away with the heat. Korean peppers are slow builders. Many times I have eaten a Korean dish or a Korean pepper with no problem, only to have it attack me with full force heat twenty seconds later.

Evil stuff.

[nessa]

I think I want it!!

[nessa]

Well, I bought it. It is 100% oil, and has a very lovely flavor. It is indeed very hot but not unbearable. At least not to me. It is every bit as hot as tabasco but with a totally different flavor profile. I think the base might be sesame oil, its kind of smokey but not overpowering. I bought the only size they had, a liter. It might take me quite some time to go through but I will enjoy experimenting with it. Once I find my camera cable I'll post a picture.