In season eating: zough chili paste recipe

Use a variety of peppers to make a zough.
Photo credit: Taylor Blanchard

Late summer means chili peppers in endless varieties – Anaheim, jalapeno, seranno, poblano and more. No sure what to do with so many peppers?

Try making zhough – or zhug – a spicy chili paste that hails from Yemen and has many uses. One option is to marinate meat or seafood in zhough. Or mix it with yogurt to create a beautiful (and milder) dipping sauce for bread, meat, potatoes or vegetables. You can also combine it with sour cream or cream cheese to create a spread. 

Making this paste with Middle Eastern and Northern African flavor profiles may require a special trip to the grocery store spice aisle to stock up, but it is well worth it. You can use a variety of different peppers based upon what you have on hand and the level of heat you want to produce. Reference the Scoville Scale for a general idea of the heat level of various peppers.

Zhough will store for a few months in the refrigerator, or you can freeze it.

Zhough (green chili paste)
From The Los Angeles Times

4 ounces fresh green chilies (jalapenos, serranos, Anaheims, poblanos or other fresh green or red chilies)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
olive oil to moisten
pinch sea salt

Directions

1. Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles, and chop by hand (use gloves!) or in a food processor (stand back; the oils can be strong).
2. In a saute pan over high heat, toast the black peppercorns, caraway and cumin seeds until fragrant and just beginning to pop. Grind with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder.
3. Blend the chopped chilies, ground spices, cardamom, cilantro, parsley, garlic in a food processor (or with a mortar and pestle) until well combined. Add the salt and enough olive oil to make a paste and continue blending until the sauce has the consistency of pesto. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. 

More pepper recipes:

• Red and green pepper pesto