Recipe for Sahawiq Akhdar (Zhug) - Yemeni Green Hot Sauce
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https://www.everybunnyeats.com/
Yield:
- About 200g of Zhug
Time:
- Preparation:
Ingredients
- 60g (about 2 bunches, 1" diameter) Cilantro leaves
- 6g (about ¼-cup) Mint
- 20g (about half a bulb) Garlic
- 110g (7-8 small) Jalapeño
- 2½g (about 1t) Cumin
- 2½g (about 1t) Cardamom
- 1g (about ½t) Coriander Seeds
- ½g (¼t) Caraway Seeds
- 1g (about ½t) Black Peppercorn
- 5g (1½t) Kosher Salt
- 55-80g (4-6T) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Procedure
- Remove the leaves off of the stalks of cilantro, wash, and gently dry. Do the same for the mint. Peel the garlic and remove the jalapeño stems and seeds.
- Lightly toast the cumin, cardamom, coriander, and caraway under low flame for 1-2 minutes.
- Grind all of the seeds in a coffee or spice grinder with the peppercorn.
- Place the cilantro, mint, garlic, jalapeño, ground seeds, and salt into a food processor. Pulse, then switch to continuous chopping, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
- Once homogenized, package the zhug in an air-tight container and refrigerate. Use within one week.
*Bunny Wisdom*
- The two bunches of cilantro turn into roughly 2 packed cups of leaves.
- Toasting the seeds helps bring out the oils and flavors.
- Over 100g of jalapeño can be a lot for some people. Use your discretion; add less if you want the zhug to be less spicy.
- You don't have to remove the seeds from the jalapeño, but we like to discard them.
- It's up to you to decide how much olive oil you want suspended within the mixture. If you want something more fluid, add more olive oil; otherwise, I like to stay on the lower end to enjoy the freshness of the zhug.
- Feel free to drizzle a little bit of olive oil over some spooned zhug, especially if you want more fragrant olive oil with your meal.