At the Le Toques Blanc meeting on Monday Night, the special speaker was Mr. Lee Cham: President of Korea Tourism Organization and he gave a very insightful talk on how his organization is promoting Korea. One of the most interesting bits of information was how he likes to sprinkle some Korean red pepper flakes on all the food that he eats. He said he even adds it to his coffee! I can't say, I haven't done the same. Back when I was working in the kitchen, our restaurant would sprinkle a little cayenne into the Diablo Chocolate cake. It wasn't really enough to be noticed, but the spice opened up the taste buds so you could get more of the chocolate goodness. So how does Lee Cham sprinkle his chili on his food? Well, he has a little metal canister with premium red pepper flakes called Kochilli. I want one of these. I got to taste the chili and it is excellent. It is spicy and flavorful. So I wonder when these things will go on sale... Kochilli: Premium Korean Red Chil...

Korea's famed red pepper powder wants to make it big according to the new head of KTO (Korea Tourism Organization). I think he envisions chefs to use it in their recipes and he wants people sprinkling this on spaghetti and pizza and other food. Now I think gochukaru (고추가루) is great for stews, as a dry rub, in sauces, in soups, etc- but what else have people used it for? Thanks, Dan