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Yemeni · Israeli

Zhug

Vegetarian

سحاوق · sahawiq

A fiery green sauce of fresh chillies, cilantro, parsley, garlic and cardamom, pounded or blitzed with olive oil. A Yemeni condiment that became a staple of Israeli street food through Yemenite Jewish cooks.

Zhug is a Yemeni condiment, ready in about 10 minutes and made with coriander leaves and green chilli. It serves 8 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
0 min
Total
10 min
Serves
8
Level
Beginner
Calories
90

Ingredients

8 servings (about 250 ml)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Roughly chop the herbs (stems and all) and chillies. Pulse in a food processor (opens in a new tab) with the garlic (opens in a new tab), spices and salt into a coarse paste — or pound in a mortar.

    Fresh herbs being chopped
    How it looks · Photo: RDNE Stock project on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and olive oil (opens in a new tab). Taste and add more chilli or salt if you like.

    • 2 min

  3. Step 3

    Spoon into a clean jar, press down and cover the surface with a thin film of olive oil (opens in a new tab) before sealing and refrigerating.

    Preserves packed in glass jars
    How it looks · Photo: Maria Verkhoturtseva on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Yemen · Commonly attributedYemeni in origin (sahawiq); brought to Israel by Yemenite Jewish communities, where it is known as skhug.Also popular in IsraelMore food from Yemen
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Sauces
Cooking method
Raw, Blended
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), herby, garlicky, fresh
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Coriander leaves · Green chilli · Parsley · Garlic · Cumin · Cardamom
Techniques
Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

90 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 29 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 2%
  • Carbohydrate 9%
  • Fat 89%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy90 kcal316 kcal
Protein0.5 g1.9 g
Carbohydrate2 g6.8 g
Net carbohydrate1.4 g5 g
Sugars0.4 g1.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.5 g1.8 g
Fat9.3 g32.5 g
Saturated fat1.3 g4.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium225 mg787 mg
Salt equivalent0.6 g2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
86 mg
Calcium
18 mg
Iron
0.7 mg
Magnesium
7 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
40 µg
Vitamin C
19 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
11 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep it coarse rather than a smooth purée.
  • Seed some of the chillies for a milder zhug.

Common mistakes

  • Blending to a smooth purée — it loses its fresh, chunky texture and turns muddy.

Serve with

  • Spoon over saltah, mandi, eggs, falafel, sabich or grilled meat.

Food safety

  • Raw garlic and herbs in oil: always keep refrigerated and use within a week; freeze in small portions for longer.

Storage

  • Keeps 1 week in a jar in the fridge under a film of oil.

Variations

  • Red zhug: Made with red chillies, sometimes with tomato.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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