Zhoug
A spicy herb sauce originating from Yemen. It's the perfect condiment for falafel, lamb, beef, yogurt, Turkish bread, potatoes or even soups (added at the end)... My version is slightly modified, in that I didn't use cilantro leaves because I don't like them at all, but I replaced them with a mix of basil leaves and lemon zest. And it worked very well. The sauce came out aromatic, spicy and very visually appealing.
Ingredients
20g parsley (1 small bunch)
10 basil leaves
1 large garlic clove
zest of 1/2 organic lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon ground green cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (or 1 hot pepper)
100ml olive oil
salt
How to prepare zhoug
- Put all the ingredients in a stick blender and blend well until the sauce is smooth. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
- Let it sit for an hour at room temperature in a closed container, this way the herbs will macerate and the flavors will be more unified. If you keep it longer, move it to the refrigerator after an hour.
