Portions: 8 portions Calories: 60kcal |
This lovely green spicy Middle Eastern sauce is such a versatile topping or condiment. You can serve it on many dishes (and we have those suggestions too). Making skhug (also known as zhough, shug or s'khug) is easy as 1,2,3, scroll down to see step by step photos and video to make homemade skhug sauce.
By - Last revised . Published 21 Mar 2015.
Why I ❤️ it Recipe Ingredients Video Preparation
Skhug or schug sauce (Middle Eastern green hot sauce).
Why I ❤️ it
Schug sauce, a green hot sauce from Yemen a bit similar to pesto or chimichurri, is one of my favorite homemade condiments. Ready in a few minutes, it has some intense flavors that enhance many dishes, even a plate of humble scrambled eggs.
You are going to love it with a freshly-made Sabich pita sandwich, or on some Shakshuka, or find many new uses for this popular Middle Eastern condiment.
Skhug or schug sauce recipe
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Utensils and tools
Ingredients
Spices
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- ½ teaspoon of caraway seeds
- ¼ teaspoon of cardamom seeds (removed from the pods)
- 2 teaspoons of cracked black pepper
Sauce ingredients
Video
Preparation
Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.
1. Grind the spices
In a spice grinder or mortar, combine salt, cumin, caraway seeds, and black pepper, and grind to pulverize them.
2. Blend the hot sauce
Pour the spice mixture into the food processor vase and add the jalapeño, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro and parsley. Pulse to turn into a coarse paste, it's important that it's not blended completely.
3. Mix in olive oil
Add the olive oil and pulse once or twice to combine.
4. Store
Pour into a mason jar and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Variations
I admit that I added a whole lot more garlic than shug typically contains, but I love garlic. You may have to cut the amount of garlic by half if that's your preference.
There is a red shug too. To make it, just substitute spicy red chili peppers for the jalapeños.
If you want to make it extra spicy, don't remove the pepper seeds and incorporate them into the sauce.
Top tips
If you don't have a food processor, you can make shkug with a mortar and pestle, which is how it was traditionally made.
Serving suggestions
Aside from the aforementioned suggestions to serve with sabich or shakshuka, zhoug also goes great with soups and stews, as well as pasta, on meat, and even as a marinade for steaks.
Nutritional information
Calories: 60kcal - Carbohydrates: 5g - Protein: 6gFat: 2g - Saturated Fat: 0.4g - Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g - Monounsaturated Fat: 1g - Cholesterol: 14mg - Sodium: 1182mg - Potassium: 309mg - Fiber: 2g - Sugar: 1g - Vitamin A: 1921IU - Vitamin C: 48mg - Calcium: 87mg - Iron: 2mg
FAQs
What is skhug sauce made of?
Shkhug or shug is made of herbs (cilantro and parley), spices which vary from cook to cook, but typically include cumin, cardamom, caraway and others, garlic and chili peppers.
What does zhoug taste like?
Zhoug has a very "green" taste (imagine pesto), but spicy and with a touch of with tangy lemon juice and garlic. It's also vaguely similar to chimichurri in texture.
What is the difference between harissa and schug?
Harissa and schug are similar in that they both share a number of spices, and both contain spicy peppers, but the fiery red harissa is a smoother paste, while the green schug is similar in look and texture to chimichurri.
Is zhoug the same as chimichurri?
Zhoug is not the same as chimichurri. Zhoug is a Middle Eastern spicy sauce, while chimichurri is a South American savory condiment. They have similar look but completely different flavor profiles.
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How to Make Skhug Sauce Recipe [+Video] Middle Eastern 🌶 Shug
Ingredients
Spices
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- ½ teaspoon of caraway seeds
- ¼ teaspoon of cardamom seeds removed from the pods
- 2 teaspoons of cracked black pepper
Sauce ingredients
- 6 jalapeños seeded and chopped (see notes)
- 4 large garlic cloves or 6 small
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 ½ cups chopped cilantro coriander leaves and stems
- 1 cup of chopped parsley leaves and stems
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Grind the spices
- In a spice grinder or mortar, combine salt, cumin, caraway seeds, and black pepper, and grind to pulverize them.
Blend the hot sauce
- Pour the spice mixture into the food processor vase and add the jalapeño, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro and parsley. Pulse to turn into a coarse paste, it's important that it's not blended completely.
Mix in olive oil
- Add the olive oil and pulse once or twice to combine.
Store
- Pour into a mason jar and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nutrition
By , published 21 Mar 2015 on Tia Clara
Katey
Thank you so much for this recipe. It's very easy to make, and has just the right level of spiciness for my taste.
Tia Clara
Thanks so much for your comment, I am very happy that you liked it.
Ginny
Hi, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Do you know if it can be made without cilantro?
Tia Clara
Cilantro is traditionally part of it, but I know that some people dislike cilantro, if that's your case, yes, by any means, use just parsley.
Marco
Good stuff.
Mary
Thanks for the shug recipe. We loved it at home.
Tia Clara
Thanks, Mary. I am glad you liked it.
Anna
It looks appetizing and easy to make. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Your photographs are amazing too.
Jessica
Thank you for sharing this shug recipe; I had been looking for it for a while.
Anthony
This sounds very good, like spicy chimichurri!
Elianne
I think I will try this recipe. Thanks for sharing.