Zhoug is a Yemenite sauce that is served with just about everything, especially with foods with origins in the Middle East.
It always accompanies salads like khtsilim pikanti (spicy eggplant), hummus, and roasted root vegetables, and it’s also a favorite with fish, game, and meat dishes, such as shawarma, as well. You can add to soups, pilafs, and other rice dishes, stews, and flatbreads as a hotter alternative to Chimichurri.

Zhoug , Yemenite Hot Sauce
Lather it in sandwiches and falafels, spoon it over roasted vegetables, tofu, eggs, chicken, fish, or use it as a marinade for grilled meats.
Ingredients
- 3 bunch cilantro fresh
- 4 cloves garlic
- 8 small chili peppers, hot red stems removed
- 1 each lime
- 1 tsp cardamom ground
- 1 tsp cumin, ground ground
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground black, ground
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Use a food processor, blender to shred the cilantro. Add the juice of 1 lime, the 1/2 cup of olive oil, and pulse into a green paste.3 bunch cilantro, 1 each lime, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Add the garlic and pulse until incorporated. Add the red chilis and pulse until rendered into small red flecks in a sea of bright green. It's OK if there are visible seeds.4 cloves garlic, 8 small chili peppers, hot red
- Add the cardamom, cumin, salt, and pepper, and blend until uniform.1 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp cumin, ground, 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground, 1 tsp sea salt
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks, or for up to 6 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tbsp | Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate
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