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.

Is it harissa or Zhug?

Zhoug is like a green harissa but it has much less heat and a lighter fresher flavour because it's full of coriander . Consequently, it's more versatile. It works on sandwiches, with eggs, in salad dressings, as a marinade, in tagines… anything!

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's the difference between chimichurri and zhoug?

Is zhoug the same as chimichurri? It's different – chimichurri tends to have a base of parsley and includes ingredients like red wine vinegar and oregano, so has a different flavour profile and isn't as spicy as zhoug .

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.

What is the difference between Skhug and green harissa?

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 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 .

What is zhug in Arabic?

Sahawiq (Yemeni Arabic: سَحاوِق, IPA: [saħaːwiq]) zhoug or zhug (from Judeo-Yemenite Arabic سحوق or זחוק IPA: [zħuːq] through Hebrew: סְחוּג, romanized: s'ḥug) is a hot sauce originating in Yemeni cuisine. In other countries of the Arabian Peninsula it is also called mabooj (Arabic: معبوج).

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 is the difference between harissa and Schug?

Moroccan and Tunisian Harissa is similar to Schug since it is made with a combination of chilis, cumin, coriander, garlic, and olive oil. Unlike Schug; however, harissa uses dried red chilis to make chili paste, and caraway is often added to deepen the flavor .

What is the history of zhoug sauce?

ZHOUG is a Middle Eastern spicy cilantro-based condiment and our latest addition to our collection of sauces. There are many ways to spell it, to say it and as many different ways to make it. But they all share a fiery, fresh, herby flavour. It originates in Yemen thought to be brought to Israel in the 1950s .

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.

Does Ortega sauce have to be refrigerated?

After opening, refrigerate unused product as soon as possible. The unused portion may be kept refrigerated in an airtight container and for best quality and flavor, should be used within 7 to 10 days.

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.

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.

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Updated October 13, 2022

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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

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