comments:
I ordered THIS ONE they sell fine and coarse. Get the coarse flakes for topping things and the fine powder to make sauces or mix in soups and other things. Its taekyung gochugaru definitely give it a try.
I completely understand being intimidated. I was the same before I finally got around to trying it. However, my fears were completely unfounded. I've made many batches I pretty much follow Maangchi's recipe for "easy to make kimchi" (mak-kimchi), but I have made a few changes. First, I don't add any dried shrimp or "salty squid" or any other seafood other than the fish sauce. I also no longer add the radish or carrot. I do add more ginger, garlic, and green onion, though (ginger and garlic added to the batch when I assemble everything). All of that is more a matter of taste than anything else. I do make the paste. It's a little extra time and effort, but I've found it worth that time and effort. Kimchi isn't supposed to be covered in a brine (at least, not at first--brine will develop, and that's good for keeping it), so the paste helps all the goodies stay in contact with the cabbage. I go ahead and make a double batch so that I don't have to make it every time. Sometimes, I've made triple or quadruple batches. It keeps forever in the fridge and, really, only gets better. It's just a matter of storage space. If you have a food processor, making the paste is even easier. There's no reason to mince or grate the ginger, garlic, or onion for the paste. Just process it. I also found that her recipe varies somewhat depending on where you find it. That, all by itself, tells you that there's room to play around, but she pretty much says as much in comments and FAQ. Look at what doesn't change (or change much), and feel free to vary the rest. ETA: I highly recommend getting good Korean chili flakes (gochugaru). I just get mine from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005G8IDTQ?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_4&th=1