ZHUG (YEMENITE GREEN HOT SAUCE)
This sauce from Yemen is supposed to pack some heat. It calls for four serranos, but I would start with two, or even substitute two of the less hot jalapeños. Toasting and grinding peppercorns, cardamom, coriander and cumin seeds are a must if you can.
The individual steps unlock zhug’s terrific aroma. Grind spices in a coffee grinder, then remove spice dust and perfume by grinding a few handfuls of barley or rice. If you plan to use a mortar and pestle, you’ll have to first chop the green herbs. You can make a splendid zhug with a mortar and pestle if you have the half-hour or so. Alternatively, you can strip the process down by using ground spices, and combining the ingredients in a food processor and blending until smooth.
The sauce can be made a day ahead, but withhold the lemon juice until just before you serve. Otherwise the colors will be dull.
2 cardamom pods, seeds removed
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds 4 serrano chiles, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped ½ teaspoon kosher salt, with more needed possibly
1 cup very finely chopped parsley 1 cup very finely chopped cilantro
½ cup olive oil 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Toast cardamom seeds, peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a small, dry skillet over medium-high heat, swirling often, until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a spice mill or mortar and pestle and let cool; finely grind.
Mortar and pestle method: Reserve the lemon juice. With ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, mash chopped chiles and garlic with tines of a fork. Add the mashed salt mixture to the mortar containing the ground spices. Pounding and stirring, begin to work in the chopped parsley, cilantro and oil. The volume will subside slowly but surely. My mortar has only 1-cup capacity but, though the process is messy and slow, the recipe easily fits into it. Add lemon juice just before serving, and stir to combine.
Food processor method: Toast and grind spices. Reserve the lemon juice. Add other ingredients to the processor bowl and blend until fairly smooth. This recipe fits into a mini-processor. Taste for salt. Add lemon juice just before serving, and stir to combine.
Makes about 1 cup.