How spicy is Korean food?

Korean foods are surprisingly not as spicy as people think. The Korean chili pepper used to make GOCHUJANG and GOCHUGARU actually comes in at a mild rating of under 2,500 Scoville units. Foods like TTEOKBOKKI (rice cakes in hot pepper sauce) and FIRE INSTANT NOODLES have been made extra hot to ride the trending wave of burn-your-tongue-off challenges.

Compare GOCHUJANG with the Cayenne Pepper that starts at a Scoville unit of 30,000 and you can see what a pushover it is in the heat department. Also, there are a large number of Korean people who dislike overly spicy foods; You can find lots of non-spicy options. Even if you find mildly spicy foods like JJAMPPONG (Seafood noodles) to be too hot, many restaurants will offer a more forgiving version.

Korea didn’t actually have GOCHUGARU until Portuguese traders brought chile peppers in the 19th century. The red kimchi we all know and love had a completely different appearance prior to this (salted, pickled, tossed in fermented bean paste). Many traditional Korean dishes tend to have a deeper umami (from fermented foods) or salty undertone than overwhelming spice levels.

This leads me to assist those who may be craving more heat from Korean ingredients. Like I said, Korean GOCHUJANG (red pepper paste) and GOCHUGARU (red pepper powder) may not be spicy enough for you. The following are some options available:

1. Add more quantity. Heat builds on itself and this may be sufficient enough to find the fire you’re looking for- but it can make your ingredients run out faster.

2. Look for GOCHUJANG and GOCHUGARU that have been made into a spicier version using CHUNG-YANG peppers (Korea’s hottest pepper) or has the highest heat rating (Usually 4).

3. Add chopped or blended Thai peppers (they’re definitely hotter than Korean peppers).

4. Have some PURE CAPSAICIN on hand. This is just pure heat without flavour- many restaurants use this for their EXTREME FIRE version of foods- usually related to challenges (eat the whole thing in X minutes and the meal is free with your picture on the wall for eternity).

The latter is not my favourite as I feel the pain without any enjoyment from flavours. But some people are into it. It comes in a convenient squeeze bottle (buy some edible capsaicin here)- please use sparingly.

Are all Korean foods spicy?

Not all Korean foods are spicy -although Korea’s spicy foods have become famous and popular around the world. There is a whole world of Korean dishes that haven’t been written about in Top 10 articles that aren’t spicy. Here are some examples of more common foods that don’t feature “spicy” as its main attraction.

NON-SPICY FOODS MENU:

• BULGOGI: Thinly sliced beef marinated in sweetened soy sauce.

• GIMBAP: Rice burrito with non-spicy ingredients like radish, cucumber, egg.

• JJA-JANG-MYUN: Thick noodles smothered in black bean paste.

• JAPCHAE: Glass noodles stir-fried with vegetables and eggs.

• DOENJANG JJIGAE: Fermented bean stew with meat and vegetables.

• SAM-GYE-TANG: The ultimate chicken soup that serves an entire chicken per person.

Foods usually considered spicy can also be made mild. TTEOKBOKKI can be made with soy sauce. Omit the red pepper paste when mixing BIBIMBAP and add soy sauce and sesame oil instead!

Is Korean food spicier than Indian food?

Korean foods are definitely not as spicy as Indian food can get. India’s hottest pepper, the ghost pepper, held the Guinness World Record for spice in 2007. Meanwhile, Korea’s CHUNG-YANG pepper has less heat on the Scoville scale than Tabasco.

One of India’s hottest dishes like the Nagamese Pork Curry uses ghost peppers and has no similar Korean comparison. However, India’s popular butter chicken is no competition when paired with the hottest Korean TTEOKBOKKI. Depends on the dish, but India can win every time if they really wanted to!

What is the spiciest Korean food?

• Spicy Beef/Pork Short Ribs (MAE-WOON GALBI JJIM)

• Spicy Octopus Stir-Fry (NAKJI-BOKKUM)

• Spicy Seafood Noodles (MAE-WOON JJAMPPONG)

• Spicy Fire Chicken (BUL-DAK)

• Fire Rice Cakes in Sauce (MAE-WOON TTEOKBOKKI)

The term “MAE-WOON” means SPICY and you can request “JAY-EEL MAE-WOON MAT” for the spiciest they can make it. There are entire restaurants with reputations for their lethal levels of spice. But because not everyone can tolerate the intensity, you’ll find there are always less spicy options available for companions of the heat addict.

BULDAK instant noodles may be the most popular spicy food at the moment. Thanks to the Fire Noodle challenge, people recognize these by sight. The original BULDAK released in 2012 with a Scoville unit of 4,404. Four years later they released the HECK! BULDAK NOODLES X2 (check it out here) which doubled the score to over 8,000SHU. In 2018, the Fire Chicken Spicy Instant Noodles Mini has become the hottest at 12,000SHU, but is not readily available online.

Why is Korean food so spicy? Because that’s what the people want!

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