skhug

skhug, (סחוג) also spelled zhug, is a yemenite hot sauce popular in middle eastern cuisine. skhug is made from ground fresh hot peppers seasoned with coriander, garlic and various spices.

i never made skhug before, it always seemed like tricky thing to make. boy, was i wrong, its so easy i can not believe i never done it before. there are two kinds of skhug; red and green and the only difference between the two is the type of peppers you use. red skhug is made with red peppers and the green skhug made with green peppers. skhug these days is part of the israeli food culture and it is used in many dishes; from hummus, salads, sandwiches, to any dish you want to give an extra kick. you can find skhug in any grocery store in israel and in every israeli grocery store here in ny, but now i know there is nothing like a fresh one that is made at home. you start with the peppers, than the cilantro, the garlics, spices and at the end the olive oil. i read not to grind all the skhug ingredients at the same time. honestly, i do not know why. also, when applying the spices, put less during the grinding, and than add according to taste. watch out! its easy to make it too salty, and for those who do not know, its going to be very spicy! once the skhug is done, you can either put it in a jar and keep in the fridge, or the freezer, in a plastic jar, for longer storage. i divided it into several jars and gave to loved ones to also enjoy this amazing sauce.


INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh green hot peppers
1 bundle of fresh cilantro
garlic cloves (I add 9 cloves - you can add more)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
olive oil (1/4 cup or less )
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PREPARATION
cut all the peppers to 3 or 4 parts , ground them in your blender. begin with few peppers, then gradually add more and more , until all peppers are ground.
cut cilantro bundle to 4 or 5 parts. add each part to your blender and grind.
add the garlic cloves and grind again.
add spices and grind.
add olive oil and grind one last time.
transfer to a bowl , add more seasoning as you like and keep in refrigerator or as mentioned above in the post.