Zhoug Recipe (Spicy Cilantro Sauce) (2024)

Zhoug is a Yemenite spicy cilantro sauce that's ready in 5 minutes. You can serve this spicy Yemeni sauce with anything from grilled meat to falafels.

One of the things that makes Mediterranean cuisine absolutely amazing is that it offers many condiments. From toum and tahini sauce and classic tzatziki to aioli, there is always a delicious condiment to accompany your meal. If you're looking for an herby condiment, you can try our basil oil or zhoug, which is a Yemenite spicy cilantro sauce that's taking over now!

What Is Zhoug?

Zhoug, also known as sahawiq or bisbas is a spicy cilantro sauce from Yemen. It comes in different variations such as red and green. Green zhug is the most popular version and that's what we're discussing today. Making this spicy green sauce is as easy as placing all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until combined, but the flavor is out of this world.

This hot herb sauce is popular in other Arab cuisines and can be served with different dishes including falafel, shawarma and even eggs.

What Is Zhoug Made Of?

• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro is the main ingredient of this sauce. Make sure to remove thick stems, you can keep the tender stems.
• Jalapenos: You want this sauce to be spicy, so jalapenos are the way to go. Depending on how spicy you'd like the sauce to be, you can keep or remove the seeds.
• Garlic: A few cloves of garlic for extra flavor.
• Spices: We are going to use a combination of cumin, salt and Aleppo pepper.
• Olive oil: High quality extra virgin olive oil brings everything together.
• Lemon juice: Skip the bottled stuff and use real lemons to add some brightness to zhoug.

How To Make Zhoug Sauce

1. In a small food processor blend the garlic, jalapenos and spices followed by the cilantro.
2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add in the olive oil and lemon juice and give it a good stir.
3. Give the sauce a taste test and add more salt or lemon juice if needed.

Variations

Here are a couple of variations of this classic Yemeni spicy green sauce:

• Use other herbs such as parsley and mint in addition to cilantro. However, make sure that cilantro is still the main herb.
• To make red zhoug sauce, add one roma tomato (cut into quarters) to the food processor with the garlic and spices.

What Do You East With Zhoug?

What I love the most about this recipe is that it's so versatile and can be used in many different ways:

• Stir it into yogurt, labneh or hummus for a healthy and spicy dip and serve with pita, lavash or pita chips.
• Use it as a condiment for sandwiches and wraps such as grilled eggplant sandwich, shawarma or falafel.
• It makes a delicious marinade for recipes such as beef shish kabob or spatchco*ck chicken.
• Serve it as a condiment or dipping sauce for grilled meat such as grilled branzino, Greek grilled chicken, salmon kabob or shrimp kabob.
• Use it to jazz up your breakfast - add it to Mediterranean breakfast hash instead of tahini sauce, stir it into eggs when making spinach omelette, or use it as a base for breakfast pizza.

Frequently asked questions

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