Quick Zhug Sauce

A peppery cilantro parsley sauce inspired by the Yemen Middle-Eastern spicy paste and flavors include garlic, caraway, cardamom, coriander, and cumin for a simple zhug.

What is Zhug?

Zhug, also known as zhoug, is a hot, spicy condiment from the Middle Eastern country of Yemen that looks like a chunky green paste made up of a perfect blend of garlic, cilantro, chili peppers, and spices.

In addition, Zhug, or Zhough in Arabic and S’hug in Hebrew, has become increasingly popular due to its versatility and bold flavor. Furthermore, on the Scoville scale, zhug typically scores between 3,000. - 10,000 SHU, Scoville Heat Units.

Moreover, Zhug can vary slightly in ingredients and heat level depending on the region where it's prepared. In addition, popular recipes for zhug include adding freshly chopped jalapeno or serrano peppers for extra spiciness and lemon juice for tartness.

Not only does my recipe have lemon zest to enhance aromatics, but it's also super easy to make, and a little zhug goes a long way! Trust me. It will be the best thing you have in your refrigerator.

Ideas for Zhug

You’ll love this recipe because it’s so fresh, and the sauce itself is so versatile. To begin with, you can use it as marinade meats, tofu, and vegetables. You can also use it to grill, bake, and roast. My favorite way is to spoon it on a falafel pita sandwich.

Zhug is excellent as a condiment topping, sauce, and marinade. A favorite way to use it is in the Baked Zhug Chicken with Spiced Brown Rice and Steamed Broccoli. It can also be used to make the Fresh Zhug & Feta Cheese Chunky Hummus and with that used in the Zhug Feta Hummus Chicken Wrap.

Is it Zhug, Zhoug, S'hug?

It's all of them. You’ll notice zhug is also spelled zhoug and s’hug (skhug). So what’s the deal? It depends on who is making it. For example, the Jewish community uses the word hug, pronounced Skoog.

Additionally, there was a large population of Jews in Yemen until the late 1940s to the 50s, when many Jews relocated to Isreal, about 1,300 miles away, bringing their Yemite culture and unique religious practices.

As a result, Israel is a diverse country with a mixture of Jewish and ethnic diversity, different traditions, and religious practices in one country.

Ingredients

Traditionally, this Yemenite Zhug paste has green hot peppers from the region with garlic, lemon, cardamom, coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds.

Sometimes, when you want to try a new recipe, you can’t because half of the items you don't have. I also tried to make it a little easier with most of the ingredients you’ll have to get started. And looking at the picture below, you can see how easy it is to gather these zhug ingredients.

First, rinse the cilantro and parsley, then cut off the rough bottom stems. Then, blend it in the food processor with jalapenos, chili pepper flakes, garlic, lemons juice and zest, cumin, coriander, cardamom, salt, and olive oil. Voila!

Busy Folks - Become a better home cook with cooking tips to help you cook more efficiently on Cook's Notebook tab.

Substitutions

• Jalapeno Pepper - Use Serrano or a mixture of both.
• Chili Pepper Flakes - 1 Thai chili, Bird's Eye Chili, or ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper for every ½ teaspoon.
• Ground Cardamom - ¼ teaspoon ground ginger with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon per ½ teaspoon to accomplish a similar flavor.

Change Heat Level - Modify the zhug recipe's heat level to your liking and learn more about the Scoville Scale and Chili Pairings.

Equipment

• Food Processor - To develop this zhug recipe, I used my small KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper and had to do it in two batches by blending the herbs first and then adding the rest. I also suggest using a larger food processor, like a KitchenAid 7-Cup Food Processor.
  • It may also work in a personal blender. Additionally, I own both of these, and I've made an herb marinade, Epis, a Haitian green seasoning with similar ingredients using my Hamilton Beach Portable Blender and Nutribullet Personal Blender. Plus, don't be fooled; both use plugs, not batteries, before getting the food chopper, and it worked fine.
  • Another method would be using a motor and pestle, the old-school way my grandma used to. This method takes a bit longer, but it uses a different method that brings out more flavor by bruising the herbs and garlic and releasing the oils instead of chopping it with a blade. Also, just chopping everything with a knife won't work. You'll have to find a way to smash and blend everything.
• Zester - Used to zest the lemon to enhance the flavor of this zhug recipe. I've used a Microplane Classic Zester Grater for over two decades, plus any recipe that suggests testing, you might see me using it in my videos. It's a great tool to have. It can also grate ginger, hard cheeses, and garlic.

Kitchen Must Haves - Find other tools I use here.

Storage

You can store your delicious homemade Middle Eastern zhug in your fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. I usually keep mine in a Ball Glass Pint Regular Mouth Mason Jar.

Air Tight Food Containers - I use Glass Food Storage Containers with a plastic clipping lid to store food.  For example, I always suggest glass storage containers since you can microwave them and hold food without staining the container, and the glass keeps them at a more stable temperature, which keeps the food fresher longer.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Middle-Eastern Recipes

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Video

Recipe

quick and easy, dinner, lunch, blender, food processor, Middle-Eastern-Inspired, summer, spicy, egg-free, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy, grain-free, pescatarian, pollotarian

Sauces & Dressings, Vegetarian

Middle Eastern, Yemeni

Yield: 16 ¼x ½x 1x 2x 3x 4x 5x 6x 7x 8x 9x 10x

Author: Maika Frederic

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Quick Zhug Sauce

A peppery cilantro parsley sauce inspired by the Yemen Middle-Eastern spicy paste. Flavors include garlic, caraway, cardamom, coriander, and cumin.

Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min

Ingredients US Metric

• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 bunch parsley
• 5 medium jalapenos
• ½ teaspoon chili pepper flakes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 lemons, juiced and zested
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Save time in the kitchen: Read the instructions thoroughly, then gather and prep all your ingredients before cooking!
2. Rinse & Prep the Herbs: Rinse the cilantro and parsley and dry using a salad spinner, shaking the excess water off or with a paper towel.
3. On a cutting board, remove about 2 to 3 inches of the bottom stem of the cilantro and parsley and set aside.
4. Chop the Jalapenos: Cut the jalapenos into 1-inch chunks on the same cutting board. If you want less heat, remove the seeds and pith.
5. Note: Before moving to the next step, note that depending on your food processor's size, If all of the solid ingredients do not fit, put in whatever you can and add all the liquids. Blend and then add the rest of the solid ingredients until combined well.
6. Blend: In the food processor, add cilantro, parsley, jalapeno, chili peppers, flakes, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin, coriander, cardamom, black pepper, salt, and olive oil.
7. Blend into a thick, smooth consistency, scrapping along the way with a silicone spatula.
8. Store for Future Use: Use as needed and store the rest in an air-tight glass jar or container. It should last up to 5 days in the refrigerator or even longer.

Notes

Servings & Yields

• Recipe Yields: 2 cups
• Serving Size: 2 tbsp
• Servings: 16

Jalapeno Pepper Substitute

• Use Serrano or a mixture of both

Removing Seeds to Control Heat Level

• When recipes call to remove seeds from hot peppers to control the heat level, you have to actually remove the rib (pith) of the pepper, the white flesh.

Chili Pepper Flakes Substitutes

• 1 Thai chili (Bird's Eye Chili) or ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper for every ½ teaspoon

Ground Cardamom Substitute

• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon per ½ teaspoon

Zesting

• Zesting is peeling only the skin of the citrus fruit without the white flesh, referred to as pith. The skin contains aromatic oils and is a great addition to recipes to intensify the flavors of a dish. A fine grater is the most convenient way to obtain the zest of the citrus fruit, usually referred to as zester or a Microplane. Learn more about Zesting on the Cook's Notebook tab.

Usage

• Use as a marinade to grill/bake/roast tofu, meats, poultry, fish, and vegetables or as a dipping sauce in hummus or as a pepper condiment.

Storage

• Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight glass jar or container.
• This fresh sauce will last for up to 5 days.

Recommended Products:

KitchenAid KFC3516CU 3.5 Cup Food Chopper, Contour Silver

Microplane Classic Zester/Grater, Black

HAW Green Cardamom Powder 1.7 ounce, Ground Cardamom Powder (Elaichi Powder) | Fresh Spice, Natural Aroma for Your Food, Helps Digestion

Nutrition Facts

Calories

21.06

Fat

1.89 g

Sat. Fat

0.25 g

Carbs

1.14 g

Fiber

0.36 g

Net carbs

0.78 g

Sugar

0.33 g

Protein

0.25 g

Sodium

148.63 mg

Cholesterol

0 mg

These are calculations based on search results of the ingredient's nutritional information.

Similar Recipes

Baked Zhug Chicken

Zhug Feta Hummus Chicken Wrap

Zhug & Feta Cheese Hummus

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Food safety

• Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat to prevent foodborne illness from contaminated uncooked meats.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat to prevent cross-contamination.
• Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods; this can breed bacteria.
• Never leave cooking food unattended to prevent burns and fires.
• Use oils with a high smoke point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
• See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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