Zhoug (Spicy Cilantro Sauce)

Zhoug is a traditional Middle Eastern hot sauce made with parsley, cilantro, spicy green chilis, and warming spices. Almost like a Middle Eastern pesto, zhoug (or zhug) is bright, fiery, and super herbaceous. You’ll want to spread this on just about everything.

Zhoug is Like My Spicy Middle Eastern Pesto

Zhoug is an herby and bold Middle Eastern sauce, almost like a pesto, made with hot peppers, fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil, and lemon. It has made its way throughout the region for centuries, picking up spellings and pronunciations along the journey. You may hear it pronounced “joog” or “s’hug,” and spelled “zhug” or “skhug,” depending on who you ask.

This vibrant green sauce first originated south of the Mediterranean in Yemen, particularly among the Yemeni Jewish community. Today, it’s used throughout the region including Egypt where I grew up.

I personally like zhoug as a hot sauce for Falafel, Shawarma, and even as a dip for Pita Bread. You can also use it as a meat marinade, sandwich spread, or spoon it over your Scrambled Eggs!

Zhoug Ingredients

• Jalapeño peppers: Add a good heat, particularly if you leave the seeds in. You can use other hot green chilies or a combination of peppers. 
• Garlic: Brings yet another layer of fresh, earthy spice.
• Kosher salt enhances the flavor of all the ingredients. 
• Fresh herbs: Cilantro and parsley are the primary flavors, adding the fresh herbal quality that makes zhoug so intriguing. I prefer a flat-leaf parsley, which tends to be sweet rather than bitter. And if you don’t do cilantro, replace it with the same amount of parsley.
  • READ MORE: These 12 Fresh Herbs Will Transform Your Simple Meals.)
• Dried herbs: Ground cumin and coriander, and cardamom add a warming, earthy flavor.
• Olive oil: Turns the zhoug from a paste to a sauce, and adds its nuance in terms of flavor. Any high-quality extra virgin variety you have will work well, but I especially love to complement the spice with our peppery Spanish Hojiblanca. 
• Fresh lemon juice lifts the flavor, adding a crucial zing for balance. Fresh lime juice is a good substitute. 

How to Make Zhoug

You can make zhoug sauce the traditional way with a mortar and pestle, but I always use a food processor to save time. Just be sure to stop when it’s more of a paste than a purée—it’s more delicious with some texture. Here’s how it’s done:

• Chop the jalapeño and garlic. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, add 6 sliced jalapeño peppers (remove the seeds and ribs for less spice), 2 peeled garlic cloves, and a pinch of salt. Pulse to coarsely chop.
• Add the seasonings. Now add 1 packed cup cilantro leaves, 1/2 packed cup parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon each ground cumin, coriander, and cardamom. Run the processor until a thick, cohesive paste forms.
• Finish. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Add 1/2 cup olive oil and the juice from one lemon, and stir to combine. Spoon onto everything!

What to Serve with Zhoug

You can enjoy Zhoug with bread just like a dip. Or use it as a condiment or hot sauce. Some ideas:

• Fish: I especially love Zhoug on this Baked Red Snapper recipe, or swap it for the Cilantro-Pistachio Pesto in this simple baked cod, but it adds a bold flavor to just about any fish, from mild flaky white fish to tuna steaks and salmon.
• Meat: Add to roast meat, grilled meat, or pan-seared chicken breasts; you really can’t go wrong.  
• Eggs: No more boring eggs! Zhoug is delicious on crispy Za’atar Eggs and Egyptian Fried Boiled Eggs (Beid Meza’lil). But it’ll also bring a Middle Eastern flair to your run-of-the-mill scrambled eggs, omelets, you name it.
• Sandwiches: Spread right onto the bread, or mix into Garlic Aioli to make a spicy green aioli. 

Storage Tips

A jar of Zhoug sauce never lasts long in my fridge, but it will keep for 2 weeks or more if you store it properly. Store it just like you would pesto: 

Zhoug will keep in your refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to two weeks. Alwasy use clean utensils when spooning it out of the jar, and create an olive oil “seal” by pouring a thin layer of olive oil over the top to reduce oxidation.

To freeze Zhoug, place it into small containers and leave a 1/2 inch of headspace to allow for expansion, or freeze in an ice cube tray. Once the cubes are frozen, pop them out and place them in a larger container. It will keep for up to 3 months.

To thaw, place in the fridge overnight. The olive oil might solidify. Do not panic! Just let it sit on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes before using, and give it a good stir.

More Mediterranean Condiments

Sauces, condiments, and toppings, whatever you want to call them, are essential to adding flavor to Mediterranean recipes. They range from creamy and garlicy, like Toum, to light and herbal, like pesto and chermoula. Having a range of sauces at your disposal means each person can personalize their meal according to their tastes.

• 5-Minute Chermoula
• Homemade Harissa
• Basil Pesto
• Mast O’khiar (Persian Yogurt Cucumber Dip)
• Tahini Sauce
• Whipped Toum
• Hummus.

This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.