[How to make Gochu Bugak] If end-of-season peppers are too spicy, use 'green peppers' instead

Bugak is a dish where plant-based foods are coated with glutinous rice paste and dried, then fried in oil when needed, which is a rare frying method in Korea. Among various types of bugak, Gochu Bugak (pepper chips) is one of the dishes that was commonly made, especially during the end-of-season pepper period. While Gochu Bugak is still made using end-of-season peppers, people also make it year-round using relatively mild peppers such as green peppers or shishito peppers. Gochu Bugak can be used as a snack or a side dish for rice, and its crunchy texture makes it great to eat when you have a loss of appetite.

How to make Gochu Bugak

Ingredients: 70–80 end-of-season peppers, 1.5 cups glutinous rice powder, 1/2 tsp salt, sufficient frying oil. Substitutes: End-of-season peppers (green peppers or shishito peppers)

1. Prepare the end-of-season peppers, dry glutinous rice powder, and salt.

2. Remove the stems from the end-of-season peppers and wash them by rubbing with baking soda.

3. Remove an appropriate amount of moisture from the washed end-of-season peppers.

4. Use a toothpick to make 2–3 holes in the end-of-season peppers after removing the excess moisture.

5. Mix the salt into the glutinous rice powder.

6. Coat the end-of-season peppers, which still have some moisture, with the mixture from step 5.

7. Steam the end-of-season peppers in a steaming pot for about 3–4 minutes.

8. After letting the steamed peppers cool slightly, dry them in a dehydrator at 70°C for about 12 hours.

9. If you do not have a dehydrator, leave them in a well-ventilated place to dry for about a week.

10. Once the end-of-season peppers are dry, preheat the frying oil to 170°C and fry them.

11. Once the coating on the end-of-season peppers puffs up white, remove them from the oil to complete the Gochu Bugak.

Gochu Bugak Recipe

If you use end-of-season peppers to make Gochu Bugak, the spiciness may be stronger compared to when using green peppers or shishito peppers. Additionally, making Gochu Bugak with mild peppers like green peppers or shishito peppers results in a non-spicy, crunchy snack. Furthermore, the finished Gochu Bugak can be used to make dishes called Gochu Bugak Jorim (braised pepper chips) or Gochu Bugak Muchim (seasoned pepper chips) using a special sauce. The sauce can be made using seasoned soy sauce, grain syrup, red chili powder, sesame oil, white sesame seeds, and black sesame seeds.

[Fam Times = Reporter Ju Na-rae]