Zhug (Yemenite Hot Sauce With Cilantro and Parsley) Recipe (2024)

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Zhug is a fresh, bright Middle Eastern hot sauce akin to chimichurri, chermoula, and salsa verde.

By

J. Kenji López-Alt

Zhug (Yemenite Hot Sauce With Cilantro and Parsley) Recipe (1)

J. Kenji López-Alt

Culinary Consultant

Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated October 13, 2022

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Zhug (Yemenite Hot Sauce With Cilantro and Parsley) Recipe (2)

Why It Works

  • Pounding the herbs and aromatics with a mortar and pestle draws out intense flavor from them.
  • Drizzling in olive oil while pounding creates an emulsion that ensures the sauce won't taste greasy or bland.

When I wrote about my recipe forphat phrik khing, I tried my absolute darnedest to convince you that a good mortar and pestle belongs in the arsenal of any home cook (and Daniel's done the same in hisguide to the best mortars and pestles). This tool will actually extract more flavor from herbs and spices than a food processor or blender ever can, producing chile paste that's more aromatic, spoonful for spoonful. I'm going to try to convince you once again today withzhug(also spelled "s'chug" or "s'rug"), a Yemenite hot sauce flavored with coriander (cilantro) seeds and leaves, cardamom, cumin, parsley, and plenty of heat from chile peppers.

The sauce is actually quite similar to a South Americanchimichurri, North Africanchermoula, Spanish- or Italian-stylesalsa verde, or even a goodpesto. In other words, it's an herb-packed sauce that's pounded or roughly puréed and emulsified with plenty of olive oil.

I love it when you find recipes that so closely resemble each other from all corners of the globe. It means that you can instantly travel from one region to the next, with only minimal changes in ingredients and process.

As with all other pound-fresh-ingredients-until-they-drop recipes, I found that, as promising as a high-powered mechanized solution looks, the real key to the best-tasting zhug is taking the food processor out of the equation and pounding your ingredients with a mortar and pestle.

I start with kosher salt (which mainly acts as an abrasive to improve grinding) and spices: cumin and coriander seeds, along with some black pepper and the interior seeds of a couple of cardamom pods. Grinding these is quick work with a mortar and pestle; you need to use a series of firm, circular motions. Next, I add garlic cloves and Thai bird chiles—I prefer their intense heat and fresh flavor to the more bitter, grassy flavor of the jalapeños that many recipes call for. I crush them all into a rough paste, using a pounding and twisting motion. The mortar and pestle does require a bit of elbow grease, but the results are just so much better than what you get out of the food processor.

Once the garlic and spices are broken down, I add my leaves half a handful at a time, working the cilantro and parsley into a rough, pulpy paste. Finally, I drizzle in extra-virgin olive oil, smashing and grinding the entire time so that the olive oil gets emulsified into the sauce, while also picking up flavors from the herbs, chiles, garlic, and spices.

Zhug (Yemenite Hot Sauce With Cilantro and Parsley) Recipe (3)

The final sauce is fresh and bright from the herbs, while also having an intensely spicy kick to it. It's the ideal accompaniment forfalafelorsabichsandwiches, but it also goes great with a variety of grilled vegetables, fish, meat, and eggs. It should last up to a week in the fridge (though I've never had a jar linger uneaten for long enough to actually find out).

March 2016

Recipe Details

Zhug (Yemenite Hot Sauce With Cilantro and Parsley) Recipe

Prep10 mins

Active10 mins

Total10 mins

Serves8 servings

Makes1 cup

Ingredients

  • 1/4 teaspoon wholecoriander seeds

  • 1/2 teaspoon wholecumin seeds

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshlyground black pepper

  • 3 green cardamom pods, small internal seeds only, toasted (optional)

  • 4 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped

  • 4 to 6 fresh Thai bird chiles, red or green (to taste), roughly chopped; or 4 driedchiles de árbol, stemmed, seeded, and torn into fine pieces

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 2 ounces fresh parsley and cilantro leaves and fine stems (about 2 loosely packed cups of mixed herbs)

  • 1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

  1. Combine coriander seeds, cumin, black pepper, and cardamom seeds (if using) in a mortar and pestle and grind into a powder using a firm, circular motion. Add garlic, chiles, and salt and pound into a rough paste. Add cilantro and parsley one small handful at a time and continue pounding into a rough paste. (By the time you're done, there should be no pieces of chiles or herbs larger than 1/8 inch remaining.) Pounding constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil to form an emulsion. Season to taste with more salt. Zhug can be served immediately or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.

    Zhug (Yemenite Hot Sauce With Cilantro and Parsley) Recipe (4)

Special Equipment

Mortar and pestle

Read More

  • Easy, Herb-Packed Falafel
  • Sabich Sandwiches (Pitas With Eggplant, Eggs, Hummus, and Tahini)
  • Falafel With Black Olives and Harissa
  • Chimichurri Sauce
  • Chermoula
  • Italian Salsa Verde With Parsley and Capers
  • Middle Eastern
  • Cilantro
  • Parsley
  • Chile Pepper
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
130Calories
14g Fat
2g Carbs
0g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories130
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g18%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 162mg7%
Total Carbohydrate 2g1%
Dietary Fiber 1g2%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 10mg52%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 1mg4%
Potassium 66mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Zhug (Yemenite Hot Sauce With Cilantro and Parsley) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does Zhug need to be refrigerated? ›

Yes, refrigerate it after opening. Unopened, it does not need to be refrigerated.

What is Skhug sauce made of? ›

Skhug sauce is the hot sauce of choice in the Middle East, made from chili peppers, cilantro, and various spices. It can be red or green, depending on the color of the chilis.

What is the difference between harissa and Schug? ›

Of all the green sauces I have made — from pesto to salsa verde to green goddess — schug is most similar to a green harissa, but it's even more spiced: there's cumin and coriander as well as hot chilies.

What is the meaning of Zhug? ›

According to Wikipedia, zhug means to pestle or crush (in Judeo-Yemenite Arabic), which we do in this recipe but with a food processor.

What do you eat with Zhoug sauce? ›

15 Ways to use Zhoug
  1. Spoon over roasted vegetables. for the perfect side dish.
  2. Mix in with yogurt. for a flavoursome dip.
  3. Top onto a frittata. for an appetizing breakfast.
  4. create a vinaigrette. by mixing with oil and lemon.
  5. Spoon onto fish. for a burst of flavour.
  6. Mix into Hummus. ...
  7. Spread over cauliflower. ...
  8. slather over chicken.

How do you pronounce zhoug? ›

How to pronounce “zhoug”? Well, this is an interesting one. I used to pronounce it as “z-oo-g” and this is what many American websites will say. However, a Yemeni colleague of my friend corrected her and said it is actually pronounced “za-ha-wiq”.

What hot sauce does the military use? ›

Object Project new media assistant Caitlin Kearney explores the history behind how American soldiers have used Tabasco sauce to spice up their military meals.

Is cilantro hot or spicy? ›

Cilantro has a spicy, peppery taste and has long been used in Mexican and Chinese foods. Try them both and give your dishes a splash of spice. Here are some recipes to try. If you'd like a quick flavor burst of cilantro for any dish, try Garden Delights Mexican Blend.

What is zhug in Hebrew? ›

Zhug may be referred to by the generic term harif (Hebrew: חריף; lit. "hot/spicy"). Also known as zhoug, it is a popular condiment at Israeli falafel and shawarma stands, and served with hummus.

Can I use Tabasco instead of harissa? ›

Since harissa paste is a Middle Eastern hot sauce, choose one of your go-to hot sauces to use instead. Sriracha, tabasco, Louisiana are all great harissa paste alternative options to use in just about any recipe!

What country is zhug from? ›

While you can find zhug everywhere in Israel, as well as in other Middle Eastern countries, it's originally from Yemen.

Where is zhug from? ›

Zhug, the Hebrew word for the sauce, and sahawiq, one of the Arabic words for it, originated in Yemen, but it has long been popular throughout the region.

What country of origin is zhoug? ›

Zhoug is a spicy herb sauce of Yemenite origin that you find in Syria and Israel.

Does deli dressing need to be refrigerated? ›

They need to be refrigerated if there is mayonnaise or sour cream in them as in some type of dairy products such as eggs or milk in them. Even yogurt. If they are an oil based vinegar based dressing they do not need to be refrigerated.

Does Ssamjang need to be refrigerated? ›

Unopened, pre-made Ssamjang does not need to be refrigerated, but it should be kept in a cool place. Opened or self-made ssamjang will stay fresh in the refrigerator for months.

How long is Zhoug sauce good for? ›

Recipe inspired by Trader Joe's zhoug sauce. Storage suggestions: This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. Olive oil sometimes solidifies when chilled—if this happens, let the sauce warm to room temperature or microwave it for just a few seconds.

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