Zhoug
A Yemeni sauce that reached the world through Israel and differs from other green pastes by one ingredient: cardamom. That warm, citrusy note is what separates zhoug from chimichurri or coriander pesto — without it you simply have a green chilli sauce. The second detail is the coriander stalks, which are not discarded: they are just as aromatic as the leaves.
Your own work in that: 8 min.
- Toasting the spices 6 min
- Herbs 10 min
- Blending 8 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneToast and grind the spices
Toast the cardamom, cumin, coriander and cloves in a dry pan for 3 minutes, until fragrant, then shell the cardamom seeds and grind everything in a mortar. Toasting releases the oils — raw spices give a flat, dusty flavour.
Ingredients: 8 pcs cardamom · 1½ tsp cumin · 1 tsp coriander seeds · 2 pcs cloves
Three minutes to fragrance — then straight to the mortar.Wash and dry the herbs thoroughly
Wash the coriander and parsley and dry them completely, ideally in a salad spinner. Water on the leaves thins the sauce and shortens its life — zhoug should be a thick paste, not green water.
Ingredients: 3 bunches coriander · 1 bunch parsley · 6 pcs green chillies · 5 cloves garlic
Use the stalks along with the leaves
Cut off only the thickest stalk ends and blend the rest with the leaves. Coriander stalks are just as aromatic as the leaves and leave no noticeable fibres once blended. Discarding them is a waste.
Ingredients: 3 bunches coriander · 1 bunch parsley · 6 pcs green chillies · 5 cloves garlic
The stalks stay — just as aromatic as the leaves.Pulse to a coarse paste
Put the herbs, chillies, garlic, spices and salt in a processor and pulse in short bursts. The paste should stay coarse, with visible flecks — blended smooth it oxidises faster and loses its vivid colour.
Ingredients: 3 bunches coriander · 1 bunch parsley · 6 pcs green chillies · 5 cloves garlic
Pulsed, not smooth — smooth darkens faster.Add the oil and lemon juice
Pour in the oil and lemon juice and give it a few more short pulses, just to combine. Long, high-speed blending turns olive oil bitter. Season with salt; in the jar the oil will separate a little over time — simply stir before serving.
Ingredients: 150 ml olive oil · 1 pcs lemon · 1½ tsp salt
Jar it under a layer of oil
Transfer to a jar and cover the surface with a thin layer of oil. That layer seals out air — without it the top darkens within a day. Keep it in the fridge only and eat it within a week: raw garlic and herbs in oil must never sit somewhere warm (risk of botulism). For longer, freeze it.
Ingredients: 150 ml olive oil · 1 pcs lemon · 1½ tsp salt
Before you start
Green and red
There is also a red version, made with red chillies instead of green — the same spices, but a fruitier flavour. You can serve both side by side and mix them at will.
What it goes with
Zhoug suits anything rich or bland: hummus, eggs, roasted vegetables, grilled meat, lentil soup. In Israel it is a popular accompaniment to falafel and shakshuka.
Freeze it in cubes
Zhoug freezes well in an ice cube tray. Transfer the cubes to a bag and take one at a time — they thaw in a quarter of an hour and keep their colour better than sauce left for weeks in the fridge.