Easy Homemade Zhoug- A spicy taste of the Middle East

Zhoug is a spicy middle eastern condiment that utilises gluts of fresh
coriander and parsley, perfect for this time of the year when everything
is bolting. It is traditionally a thicker paste that is used to flavour,
marinate and dip. Add it to salad dressings, or stir through greek
yoghurt or put it on the table as a condiment. You can add a more oil to
make a thinner richer sauce for directly dressing vegetables, meats or
salads.

Our recipe was adapted from Ottolenghi’s cookbook Jerusalem as
published by The Guardian.We toasted the spices whole and then ground
them before adding. We also used dried chilli as fresh chilli are out of
season and added a dash of lemon juice. Lime juice would have been good.
We added more olive oil and water to thin it down and take it a bit
further and also to get that beautiful oily glossy appearance. Always
taste as you go and adjust seasoning as required. Will keep for up to 2
weeks in the fridge.

Ingredients:

35g coriander
20g parsley
2 green chillies
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cardamom
1 generous pinch of sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz in a few pulses to
a coarse paste.