Zhoug
My love for zhoug almost cannot be put to words…but I’ll do my best to express my love for this mouth-watering Yemeni hot sauce. It has become one of the most popular condiments in the Levant, and for good reason. Zhoug may very well be one of my favorite condiments, I make it weekly, and always have a jar in the fridge, to put on anything that needs an extra oomph. Use it to top hummus, stir it into yogurt, add it to a marinade, mix it into ground meat, legumes, or tofu, fry your eggs in it, make it into a salad dressing, add a little pizzazz to your sandwich, or simply dip any type of bread into it. There is literally no savory food that zhoug cannot elevate. Okay, I will stop now, but seriously, I cannot emphasize how good zhoug is, make it for yourself and you will see why I am so enamored.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
120g of fresh cilantro or about 1 cup
60g fresh flat-leaf parsley or about 1/2 cup
The zest and juice of 2 limes or 1 lemon*
6-10 cloves of garlic*
3-5 green chilies or 2-3 jalapeños
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp kosher salt or 1/2 tsp if using table salt or to taste
Directions:
Put garlic and chilies in a food processor and blitz until it forms a coarse paste.
Add cilantro, parsley, spices, salt, and lime juice.
Pulse until combined, you want the herbs to be a coarse paste but not completely pulverized, you still want some texture.
Transfer the mixture to a sterilized jar or container with a lid.
Pour olive oil and zest into the jar and mix in.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Enjoy!
Additional Notes:
*Add as many garlic cloves as you wish, but I like it garlicky so I add about 9 or 10 cloves.
*If you do not want to add lime or lemon, you can substitute it with a few tablespoons of water, but I think the citrus adds a beautiful brightness to the zhoug.
