Name: Zhoug! (Spicy Cilantro Sauce) Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: 1.25
Ingredients: 4 cloves garlic; 2 cups fresh cilantro; 4 medium jalapenos; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 1 tsp cardamom; ¾ tsp cumin; ½ tsp red pepper flakes; ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

How To Make Zhoug (Spicy Cilantro Sauce)

Fresh, herbal, and spicy, this zhoug recipe is for those who want to add spice to their dish. It consist of fresh herbs and chilis processed together.

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking:

Total: 10 minutes

Serves:

Ingredients

4cloves garlicmedium, roughly chopped
2cupsfresh cilantropacked, about 2 bunches, mostly leaves
4mediumjalapeñosseeds removed but reserved
1tspfine sea salt
1tspcardamomground
¾tspcuminground
½tspred pepper flakesmore to taste
¾cupextra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Place the garlic in your food processor and process until the garlic is broken into tiny pieces.
Add the cilantro, jalapeño (keep the seeds in case you want to make the sauce more spicy after tasting), salt, cardamom, cumin and red pepper flakes. Process until the mixture is all mixed together and very finely chopped.
While running the food processor, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Scrape down the sides and blend until the sauce is mostly smooth.
Adjust to taste. For a spicier sauce, add the jalapeño seeds or additional red pepper flakes and blend again.
Transfer to an air-tight container and chill.

Recipe Notes

If the sauce is too bitter, you can add more salt or give the flavors some time to mellow. This sauce’s flavor transforms with time, so if it’s too spicy or you just don’t love it right off the bat, let it chill in the fridge and try it again in an hour.