Feel free to use whatever fresh chile you can find, but remember that this sauce from Yemen, known as zhug, is supposed to pack some heat. You can use this sauce with sandwiches, over grilled meats, or as a topping for veggies.
Ingredients
4 servings
2
1
1
½
4
2
1
¾
⅔
4
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Remove cardamom seeds from pods; discard pods. Toast cardamom seeds, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds in a dry small skillet over medium-high heat, swirling often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice mill or mortar and pestle and let cool; finely grind.
Step 2
Place chiles and garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle with a large pinch of salt and smash into a paste with the side of a chef’s knife. (Or use that mortar and pestle here too.)
Step 3
Transfer chile paste to a small bowl and work in spice mixture, parsley, cilantro, and oil; season with salt. Let sit 10 minutes for flavors to marry. Stir in lemon juice.
Step 4
Do Ahead: Sauce (without lemon juice) can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let come to room temperature before stirring in lemon juice.
Leave a Review
Reviews (14)
Back to Top@Christine Philips Why the FUCK are you putting the hebrew first
Anonymous
1/12/2024
Made this and enjoyed it very much. The taste is very bright and refreshing. Only thing I did differently was blend everything in a food processor instead of chopping the herbs by hand. Texture came out great. Will make again.
Jen
Philadelphia, PA
11/16/2022
Zhug (Hebrew: סְחוּג, romanized: s'ḥug), sahawiq (Yemeni Arabic: سَحاوِق) or bisbas (بسباس) is a hot sauce originating in Yemeni cuisine.[1] In other countries of the Arabian Peninsula it is also called ma'booj (Arabic: معبوج).[2]
Christine Phillips
8/15/2022
This is delicious on chicken or slices of steak, and on roasted potatoes. I've served it with roasted slices of sweet winter squash, and with fried tofu.
Javalina
Davis, CA
1/29/2022
Where in Yemen is this being made? Never heard of it. Have not tried it but it’s not something that anyone in my part of Yemen has made. What we do is take jalapeño garlic and tomato mash it up add salt and call it a day. You could add cilantro or parsley or mint you could add cumin. But most common is jalapeño garlic tomato and cilantro. And it’s an everyday condiment.
Anonymous
5/1/2021
sooooo good
Anonymous
Montréal
4/5/2020
This is one of my faves
seymourkitty
Portland
12/20/2019