Toasted-Spice Zhoug (Green Chile & Cilantro Hot Sauce)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Yemen's fiery green table sauce, built the way the good Middle Eastern places do it: whole spices toasted in a dry pan, cracked coarse, then worked into a mountain of cilantro, green chiles and garlic with just enough olive oil to hold it together. Coarse and spoonable rather than smooth — it should look chopped, not blended. Spoon it over grilled meat, eggs, roasted vegetables, hummus, or any sandwich that needs a jolt.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 4 pods green cardamom pods
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp caraway seeds (optional, traditional)

• 2 large bunches fresh cilantro, thick lower stems trimmed (about 4 packed cups leaves and tender stems)
• 1/2 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 4 serrano chiles, stemmed (or 3 jalapeños for milder heat)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne (optional, for extra heat)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for storing
• 1 tbsp cold water, if needed

Instructions

1. Put the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom pods, peppercorns and caraway (if using) in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, shaking the pan almost constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes — until the cumin darkens a shade and the pan smells nutty and floral. Do not walk away; cumin goes from fragrant to bitter in about 20 seconds. Tip immediately onto a plate to stop the cooking and cool for 5 minutes.
2. Crack the cardamom pods open with the flat of a knife, pull out the tiny black seeds and discard the papery husks. Grind all the toasted spices in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to a coarse, sandy powder — you want a little texture, not dust.
3. Wash the cilantro and parsley and dry them very well in a salad spinner or between clean towels. Wet herbs make watery zhoug that separates. Trim off the thick woody bottom stems of the cilantro but keep the tender upper stems — that's where a lot of the flavour lives.
4. Taste a sliver of one serrano. If they're mild, use all 4 with seeds. If they're aggressive, halve two of them and scrape out the seeds and white ribs with a spoon. This is your only real heat control, so decide now.
5. Drop the garlic cloves and chiles into a food processor with the salt and pulse 8 to 10 times, until they're finely chopped and clinging to the sides. Scrape down the bowl.
6. Add the herbs in two batches, pulsing 6 to 8 short pulses after each addition and scraping down between. Stop while the mixture still looks like a coarse chop with visible flecks of green — about 20 to 25 pulses total. Over-processing bruises the herbs and turns the sauce dark and muddy.
7. Add the ground toasted spices, sugar, cayenne if using, and lemon juice. Pulse twice to combine.
8. With the machine off, pour in the olive oil, then pulse 3 or 4 times just to bring it together into a loose, spoonable paste. If it's stiffer than you'd like, pulse in the tablespoon of cold water. Do not run the motor continuously — the oil will emulsify and the sauce will turn pale and pasty instead of glossy and green.
9. Scrape into a bowl and rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. The spices bloom in the oil and the raw garlic edge softens noticeably. Taste and correct with salt and lemon — it should be bracing, herbal, and hot enough to make you reach for bread.
10. Serve at room temperature, spooned over grilled chicken or lamb, fried eggs, roasted cauliflower, hummus or into a sandwich. Transfer leftovers to a jar, smooth the top and pour a thin film of olive oil over the surface to seal out air.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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