Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Zhug (variantly spelled as zhoug, zhoog, skhug and schug), is a hot chilli sauce or chilli paste from Yemen.
To me, Zhug is the Middle Eastern pesto. After all, the word zhoug means “ground”, much like pesto comes from the word pestare, meaning “to pound, crush or grind”.
Although more commonly known as Yemeni or Yemenite Green Chilli Sauce, you’ll also find red and brown Zhoug. The former is when the Zhoug is made with red chillies and the latter, when tomatoes are added to the green concoction. But today, we shall be making the green one!
Is Zhug Spicy?
It is a hot sauce, you can’t get away from that! However, you can adjust the level of heat by using mild chillies.
On top of that – something that I teach all my students – capsicums (bell peppers) make the perfect substitute for chilli peppers if you can’t take any spicy food. You get all the fruity flavour without the heat.
Zhug is an unbelievably fresh green chilli paste. This is because, apart from the light toasting of the cumin seeds, everything else is raw.
How to use Zhug?
In so many, many different ways!
- I absolutely love it as a table condiment, goes with so many Middle Eastern and Indian/Pakistani dishes
- as a dip for flatbreads and baguettes, much like you’d dip bread in olive oil in Italy
- as a sandwich or burger topping (see The Ultimate Burger)
- barbecue sauce, get creative and lose the standard ones like hickory and brown sauce
- amazing mixed with mayonnaise (don’t all chilli sauces rock with mayo?)
- fantastic with falafels, meatballs and kebabs
- makes a delicious marinade
Where is Zhug eaten?
Zhoug might have originated in Yemen, but today, you’ll find it all over the Middle East, and, especially so in Israel. Immigrating Yemeni Jews are said to have taken their Zhoug recipes with them to the newly created Motherland in the 1950s.
In my visits to Israel, I was lucky enough to have been invited to Shabbat to the homes of some of the locals, despite not being of the faith. I learnt so much from these meals and the time spent, in the habits of the people, the mealtimes and the food.
Every home I visited had a jar of the green Zhug or Skhug Yarok on the dinner table, eaten as a condiment, with a few also having the red one, Skhug Adom.
The Green Hot Sauce
Zhug is also to be found in the restaurants and food cafes in Israel, and it is the obligatory sauce at all falafel and shawarma joints! In fact, the green/red chilli sauce that’s served with our kebab filled pita bread here in the UK, is a very very close, watered down cousin of it. Fancy that!
I worked in North London in a very Jewish part of town in the mid 90s, and lunch was always from one of two or three falafel and sandwich cafes. Zhoug was always the sauce of choice at these places.
I most certainly had to have it in my Sabih (or Sabich), a delightful pita sandwich with boiled eggs and eggplants, sometimes I’d feel greedy and ask for falafels in there too, to many raised eyebrows! But they got used to my quirky requests very quickly!
So what’s with the green colour?
In the most basic of Zhug recipes, traditionally, there is only 1 herb – coriander, but these days, it’s very common to use both coriander and parsley, which gives an amazing sauce with a deeper flavour. These 2 herbs work so well together, I often use them both when cooking Middle Eastern recipes.
Besides the coriander (cilantro), we also have green chillies to further add to the green.
As mentioned above, the recipe I’m giving you is the stripped down, basic version, delicious as is and fantastic used as described above. My suggestion is to make this, then either get fancy at your next try, or do what I do in my cooking classes.
My students make this green zhoug, then we divide the recipe into 3. One stays as it is, the second gets chopped parsley added to it and the third gets some chopped fresh tomatoes. Seems like the perfect solution, no?
How to make the Perfect Zhoug
Think Fresh
Fresh chillies, fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) and fresh garlic.
By that same extension, if you can, dry roast and grind the small amount of cumin seeds that we need for this recipe. I’ve taken that into account in our total time. I forgive you for going the easy route and using shop bought ground cumin – just make sure it’s not been sitting on your spice rack for over a year!
How spicy to make it
That’s a matter of choice. I use 5-8 jalapeños and 2-3 bird’s eye chillies. As always, I love heat and flavour, not just debilitating heat! I shall leave this up to you. Don’t exceed 10 chillies in total, as you’ll then upset the flavour balance.
Use any green chillies you like, and can get your hands on. Likewise, when you’re making the red version, the same thing applies.
Use a Chopper and make life easier
Make life easy and use the chopper to blitz everything! Your sauce is not going to suffer for it.
Variations of Zhoug
- Use red chillies instead of green. The actual red zhug is a somewhat different chilli paste/sauce.
- Use equal amounts of coriander and parsley, so a small handful of each for this recipe.
- 1 medium tomato, quartered and added to the chopper right at the end, so it won’t be puréed, but chopped.
- You can also turn this into a lighter sauce by adding 2-3 tablespoons of water, more lemon juice or more olive oil.
Always bear in mind the original mix and any variations should never alter the basic taste, just complement it. I find too many people get carried away with extras, resulting in a completely different sauce.
Zhug on YouTube
Sterilising Jars
- Turn the oven on to a cool 130˚C/250˚F/Gas Mark ½.
- Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water.
- Place the jars and lids upside down in the oven and leave them to dry, with the door closed for 15 minutes.
- Leave the jars and lids in there, bring them out only when you are ready to fill. Be careful, as they’ll be hot.
More hotties on The Chilli Page:
If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!
And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood
Lin xx
Zhug, Yemeni Green Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 large handful fresh coriander leaves
- 3 medium sized garlic cloves
- 8 green jalapeños
- 2 bird's eye chillies
- ½ tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin
- ¼ tsp of salt
- pinch sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp water
Additional ingredients
- Tomatoes
- Red Chillies
- Lemon Juice
- Parsley
Instructions
- Heat a small frying pan on medium heat and dry fry the cumin for 2-3 minutes until aromatic.
- Place in a spice mill or coffee mill and ground to a powder.
- Now let’s make the sauce. Place the garlic, salt and chillies in a chopper and chop until coarse.
- Chop the coriander leaves next. If your chopper isn’t big enough, do this in 2 batches, then mix everything up in a bowl.
- Mix in the cumin.
- Add the olive oil, lemon juice and water and mix (either still in the chopper or with a spoon in a bowl).
- Place in a container, top with more olive oil and it should keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
My kid will love this spicy food so this zhug is what she will love and I will join her. Love it it needs all I always stock in my pantry. Will make it.soon .
Thanks, let me know if you do.
So much like an Indian Chutney except the usage of jalapeño and more chillis. Interesting condiment and while reading the description am now yearning for a condiment with a bit of kick. Love how versatile zhug is.
Yes, it definitely shares similarities with chutneys.
This looks irresistible! I’m imagining spreading it on my omelette and paratha roll. Great idea to mix it with mayonnaise for a flavour variation.
Thank you, Maria. I love all chilli stuff with mayo!
This is really so delicious Azlin, I just made a batch in the afternoon. I can’t seem to get enough, thank you!
It’s a real pleasure, glad you are enjoying it. x
My friends recently discovered zhoug and were singing its praises. They made and gave me some which I’ve mixed with mayo and slathered on haddock which I dusted with panko crumbs and baked. Delicious!!
Now I can see why my friends are addicted to the fresh flavor of zhoug with the heat of chilis.
That sounds wonderful, it’s such a wonderful condiment! Are you planning to make some yourself?
Holy —-! This is just spectacular! I am planning to make this over the weekend. I might even try a couple of the versions, with what you’ve suggested. Thank you Azlin, I’m having a blast with your chili pepper recipes!
Thank you John! I hope you enjoyed it!
Absolutely incredible! I have never heard of this,, so really enjoyed your very detailed post and description! Thank you. Printed and saved!
Wonderful, thank you so much!
Wow, I a learning so much from your blog! I’ve signed up to receive new posts, and I can’t wait!
Thank you Suraya!
We eat this a lot in Israel.. i prefer with just coriander!!
Yes, I remember eating it in Tel Aviv! Thanks for stopping by!
My husband makes a great pesto. I will have to share this with him. He would love a new recipe.
Does it taste the same as the pesto here? We also buy the ones in cans.
My pesto is homemade and homemade will always taste better than shop bought. It takes 8 minutes to make pesto at home, give it a try, the link to my recipe is above.
This looks delicious! I love hot stuff so I’m thinking I will love this Chilli Sauce!
This looks like it would be absolutely delicious. I am going to have to give it a try.
This is making my mouth water. I love the bright green colour!
This looks amazing and easy to make! Thank you for the recipe! I am going to have to try this out as soon as possible!
This looks amazing! I’m going to have to give it a try 🙂
I love spice so this pesto chilli sauce sounds so delicious. Love the photography too.
My husband loves spice, so I bet he would love this! I could see this being really great with steak and tacos too!
My mom loves pesto so much. And I will definitely do this for her. Thanks for the recipe!
We love spicy over here. I’d love to give this a try.
I don’t think I have ever had a chili sauce before! This sounds really good to make and to eat!
At first glance it does look like pesto! I’m sure it’s packed with flavor and I would love to try it especially since you gave tips on how to use it! Thanks for the recipe!
Oh this sounds like a really good one to make. We have friends coming over on Sunday and this might be worth trying. Hope I can get it to turn out well.
This sounds and looks perfect…I loove dips!!!
How delicious this sounds! I think it’s a recipe hubby would like. I’ll give it a go.
This chilli looks different and delicious! My husband would love it so I think I’ll try it soon.
It is green chile season here in New Mexico. This is a good one to make.
It sure is, don’t you just love summer?!
I love it spicy, so I’ll definitely go that route. I can’t wait to give this a try. I love pesto, so this will be great!
Thank you Liz, let me know what you think!