Sauce 101
What Is Zhug? The Green Sauce With a Kick
Zhug is a bright green hot sauce from Yemen, built on fresh chilies and cilantro. If you have seen green drizzles on our bowls in Joliet and wondered what that was, this is your answer.
Quick answer
Zhug (also spelled zhoug, schug or skhug) is a Yemeni hot sauce made by blending fresh hot chilies with cilantro, often parsley, garlic, olive oil and warm spices like cumin, coriander and cardamom. It is green, herby and fiery, and it is spooned over falafel, shawarma, grilled meat, eggs and rice.
What is zhug made of?
Zhug is a fresh, chunky green sauce. Think of it as somewhere between a salsa verde and a chili paste. Most versions start with the same base, then every cook adjusts the heat and spices to taste.
- Fresh hot green chilies, such as jalapeño, serrano or bird chilies
- Lots of cilantro, sometimes cut with parsley
- Garlic and salt
- Warm spices: cumin, coriander, black pepper and often cardamom
- Olive oil to bring it together, with a squeeze of lemon in some recipes
Where does zhug come from?
Zhug comes from Yemen. Traditionally it was pounded by hand in a mortar and pestle. Yemeni Jewish families brought it to Israel, where it became a regular at falafel and shawarma stands, and from there it spread across the Middle East and beyond.
There is also a red zhug made with red chilies instead of green. The green kind is the one most people picture, and it is the one you will see on our bowls.
Like a lot of family sauces, there is no single official recipe. Some cooks go heavy on cardamom, some skip it. Some keep it coarse and chunky, some blend it smooth. The constant is fresh chilies and a big handful of herbs.
What does zhug taste like?
Hot, fresh and loud. The first hit is grassy cilantro, then the chilies come in, then the cumin and cardamom leave a warm, almost floral finish. It is not a vinegar hot sauce. It tastes green, like it was just chopped.
How hot depends on the chilies, but most zhug sits firmly in the spicy column. Start with a little. You can always add more. You cannot take it back.
How do you use zhug?
Zhug loves rich, fatty, or creamy things, because the herbs and heat cut right through them. That is why it shows up next to garlic sauce and tahini so often. Cool, creamy sauce plus green heat is a combo that just works.
- Over chicken shawarma or steak shawarma
- On falafel with tahini or hummus
- Swirled into hummus for a spicy dip
- Next to toum, so you get garlic and heat in the same bite
Can I get zhug at AMBA?
Zhug is the green hot sauce you will see on some of our bowls. It is not one of the five drizzles listed on our menu board (tahini, toum, tzatziki, harissa and amba mango sauce), so ask for it at the counter and we will tell you if we have it that day.
If zhug is not out, you still have heat options: harissa and spicy feta are both on the board every day. Our favorite way to use green heat is on a Mediterranean bowl with chicken shawarma, saffron turmeric rice and a stripe of toum to cool it down. Every bowl is built in front of you, so you can ask for a taste of anything first.
“All kinds of flavors going on in my bowl. The hot feta? I think if you put it on a shoe i would still eat it. It was that good.”
Good questions
Asked at the counter.
How do you pronounce zhug?
Most people say “zhoog,” with the “zh” sound like the s in “measure.” You will also hear “skhug” and “schug.” All the spellings point to the same sauce.
Is zhug the same as chimichurri or pesto?
No. Chimichurri leans on parsley, vinegar and oregano, and pesto is basil with cheese and nuts. Zhug is chili-forward and cilantro-heavy, with warm spices like cumin and cardamom. It is much hotter than either.
Is zhug very spicy?
It usually is, since fresh hot chilies are the main ingredient. Heat varies by batch and by cook. Ask for a taste at the counter before you commit.
What is zhug good on?
Almost anything savory that needs a wake-up. It is classic on falafel and shawarma, and great with grilled chicken, eggs, rice and roasted vegetables. Pair it with something creamy, like hummus, tahini or toum, to balance the heat.
Is zhug always on the menu at AMBA?
No. Zhug is not one of the five drizzles on our menu board, so ask at the counter. Harissa and spicy feta are always there if you want heat.
Come hungry. Leave family.
1522 Illinois Rte 59, Joliet. Mon to Sat 10:30am to 8:30pm, Sun 11:30am to 7:30pm.
