Zhoug (Spicy Cilantro Parsley Sauce)
Zhoug is a wonderful Yemenite sauce, combining fresh cilantro and parsley—plus garlic, chiles, and spices, all of which you can adjust to your taste. You can replace the cilantro with mint or basil, or add some ground fenugreek to the mix. Or blend in some feta for cheese zhoug. It’s delicious spooned over grilled meats, tossed with potato or pasta salad, or drizzled over focaccia.
Ingredients
- ½ bunch cilantro roughly chopped
- ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 1 large jalapeño or bird’s eye chile stemmed, seeded, and cut into chunks
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup olive oil approx.
Instructions
- Place cilantro and parsley, including the stems, along with the jalapeño, garlic, vinegar, cumin, coriander, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse into a rough paste.
- With the motor running, pour in a thin stream of olive oil until the mixture starts moving more easily; scrape the side of the bowl and blend, tasting and adjusting the ingredients as needed, until it has the consistency you want. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
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