My New Favorite Sauce!
Ron and I were introduced to a delicious new sauce called zhoug (pronounced zoog) when we were visiting our friends in Long Beach, California. Brighter, spicier, greener and fresher than chimichurri, this Yemeni condiment has completely taken over our kitchen.
Our friends served it alongside grilled lamb and flatbread, and I think I ate half the bowl before the main course arrived. It has that quality that the best condiments share — it makes everything it touches taste more like itself, only better.
Zhoug is made from fresh cilantro, parsley, jalapeño or serrano peppers, garlic, cumin, cardamom, and olive oil. The combination sounds unusual but the result is extraordinary — herbaceous, spicy, fragrant, and completely addictive.
Zhoug (Green Yemeni Hot Sauce)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups fresh cilantro, packed
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, packed
- 3–4 jalapeño or serrano peppers, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup good olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse, vibrant green sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning. Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks — the flavor actually improves after a day or two.
We've been putting it on eggs, grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, sandwiches, and straight onto bread. It's also incredible stirred into hummus or used as a marinade for lamb or fish.
If you make one new thing this month, make this. You will not regret it.