Last night I had a little recipe experiment, I made a chile paste called zhug or zhuk or skhug or סחוג. Mmmmm! It was tasty! Zhug is a Yemenite Jewish hot sauce. I guess it can be made with red or green chiles. The recipe I first saw in Mediterranean Hot and Spicy was with green chiles and it sounded super tasty! I love anything spicy so I figured I'd give it a try. Plus I liked the name - I like words with Z or X in them. LOL!!
My general recipe (serves 2-4) was as follows:
2 serranos and 1 jalapeno (depending on the heat of the chiles and the spiciness you prefer)
3 garlic cloves
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
Toss all in a food processor and blend up until a smooth paste is formed, like pesto. (variation: you can also add cardamom - I did, but it tasted awful to me - I'd leave it out next time)
I think zhug is typically eaten with pita or flatbreads or added to soups and stews. I put it on top of fish and veggies. I slathered a bit on the fish before I cooked it and then put some dollops on top of the finished dish. It was good! Very spicy and super garlic-y! Whoa. If you eat a lot the vampires will not bother you for a day or so. I ate a lot. haha!If you like spicy and GARLIC - try it!
After dindin I went for an evening walk. It was the perfect temp out- mid 70s I'd say with a nice breeze. Scattered clouds with a silvery sky peeking through, turning to navy blue. What a nice night!
Enjoy the day! :)
Yummy,
ReplyDeleteLearn something new everyday!
I don't think I ever had it.
It looks DELICIOUS, and I will be making some.
Marc
Sounds almost like chimichurri sauce, another herb based garlicky pesto-y thing that I love! I cannot deal with raw garlic though so I never use more than like half a clove. Guess the vampires are gonna get me. :(
ReplyDeleteHi guys! Thanks for the comments!
ReplyDeleteYes Elizabeth - it is a lot like chimichurri (yummy!) except more spicy. I had the best chimichurri made from dried herbs when I was in Argentina. I could eat it by the spoonful. I'll have to try and replicate that...hmm.
I brought the leftover sauce to work today and made my coworker eat it with her lunch. She loved it! I like that it is super easy to make and you don't have to cook any of the ingredients.
Have a great day!
Finally found a recipe for this - I am making it tonight - thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Biz -
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! Let me know what you think? It's super garlic-y spicy!!!