Yemens Very Famous Zhoug Recipes

ZHOUG! (SPICY CILANTRO SAUCE)

Steps:

• Place the garlic in your food processor and process until the garlic is broken into tiny pieces.
• Add the cilantro, jalapeño (keep the seeds in case you want to make the sauce more spicy after tasting), salt, cardamom, cumin and red pepper flakes. Process until the mixture is all mixed together and very finely chopped.
• While running the food processor, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Scrape down the sides and blend until the sauce is mostly smooth.
• Adjust to taste-for a spicier sauce, add the jalapeño seeds or additional red pepper flakes (1/4 teaspoon at a time) and blend again. Too bitter? You can add more salt or give the flavors some time to mellow. This sauce's flavor transforms with time, so if it's too spicy or you just don't love it right off the bat, let it chill in the fridge and try it again in an hour.

ZHOUG - A FRESH AND SPICY SAUCE FROM YEMEN

Steps:

• Place everything except the water in a food processor or blender. Pulse several times until everything is well combined with a texture similar to pesto - a slightly chunky paste. Alternately, make your zhoug by chopping everything very finely with a knife, or by bashing everything together in a mortar and pestle.
• Add a splash of water if you want to thin the texture a bit.
• Give it a taste, and add additional salt if desired.
• Zhoug will keep well in the refrigerator for several days.

YEMEN'S VERY FAMOUS ZHOUG!

Steps:

• Trim, seed, and coarsely chop 1 pound jalapeño or serrano chiles. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chiles with 1 cup each chopped Italian parsley and cilantroincluding the tender stems, 2 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.
• Process to form a rough,chunky paste. Pour in 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and process again briefly. Pack into a glass jar, cover the top with olive oil, and store in the refrigerator up to 3 months.

ZHOUG (YEMENI CHILI SAUCE)

Steps:

• Run the jalapenos and the garlic through a blender or food processor until smooth. Add the herbs, spices and enough water to blend into a smooth paste. Add the olive oil, season to taste, and pulse for one more minute. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use (will keep up to three months).

RED ZHOUG

Steps:

• Add the oil to a large sauté pan and place on the stove over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the bell peppers and chiles and fry while continuously stirring for about 10 minutes, until the peppers start to blister and darken in color. If at any time the peppers start to burn, decrease the heat slightly.
• Remove the peppers and chiles from the oil, set aside, and let cool. Add the cooled fried peppers and chiles and the paprika, turmeric, cloves, cardamom, cumin, salt, garlic, and lemon juice to a food processor and blend, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula when necessary, until the mixture is the consistency of a chunky puree, about 2minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool, then add the cilantro and stir to combine. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.