Delicious Zhug (or Z'houg or Shoug or Zhouk) from Yemen!

When I was in the Middle East this past six months, I went to visit friends in a gorgeous place called "Jaffa" (or Yafo) which is a predominantly Arab old city inside the city limits of Tel Aviv in Palestine (or Israel). In this part of the world, there seems to be alternate spellings and names for everything. 

Readers, I fell in love.... with Zhug - a spicy green sauce that I first tasted on falafel and then on Sabic and then on everything! You can buy it fresh at the Tel Aviv airport and so at any given time I had three or four jars of it in my house in Jordan. Oddly, I could not find it in Amman. However - its easy to make at home! 

According to the internet: Zhug was brought to Israel by Yemenite Jews and is now the hot condiment of choice in Israel. Zhug is made with fresh chiles, garlic, coriander, cardamom, and other spices. It is usually very hot, so you should start with a small amount. Mixed with soaked and ground fenugreek, it becomes hilbe (which I'll try to make should I ever find any fresh fenugreek). 

Spice Girl/ Ottolenghi Fangirls

I've since returned to Thailand and I'm sure I won't find any here. I had dinner with my Ottolenghi Cooking Group (with lovely Mistress ofSpices, Mango-Ginger and Momomoeats and our designated eater, Vionette) in Bangkok the other night and we made hummus. And I started craving Sabih and Zhug. Tonight, I'll fry some eggplant but this morning, I made Zhug and had it with some hummus on a piece of pita. 

Here's the recipe I used this morning:

2 bunches of cilantro/ coriander (the perfect herb for the middle east as it has two names)

1 bunch curly parsley

2 green chiles serrano chilies, seeded

6 jalapeno chiles, seeded
1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 pinches cardamom

2 pinches salt

4 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp olive oil

I blended it all together and made a nice size jar to keep me doing through the cravings. 

Enjoy!

Cooking Classes in Vietnam: Part 2 The Cooking Class

In 2012, I took a trip to Hoi An, Vietnam and attended a cooking class at the Red Bridge Cooking School and Restaurant. The day started early with a trip to an organic farm where we picked up our herbs and learned about the different type of herbs in Vietnam and their role, both culturally and culinarily. Then we went to the morning market where we bought noodles, vegetables, fish sauce, herbs, spices, and meat. Then to the beautiful cooking school where we made friends and cooked up a storm. Many of these photos are also courtesy of my friend Susanne ....

Part 1: The Cooking Class 

The spacious and beautiful cooking area

Sesame seeds, peanuts, MSG, salt, sugar, black pepper, star anise. I was amazed at how big a role black pepper plays in Vietnamese cuisine!

Shallots, garlic, peppers, and lemongrass

After cooking, we had a little swim!

The lush garden around the cooking school

Me and our chef/trainer - note the LaRue beers that were available.

The chef/trainer (I think his name was Thanh) telling us about technique.

Preparing to make a papaya and green mango and carrot salad. 

Our first dish - shrimp cooked in banana leaves. Delicious!

Chopping while drinking beer might be a mistake? Nah!

Learning how to make rice noodles for our Pho.

Our fresh pho made with lots of fresh noodles, fresh broth with lots of star anise, and basil!

The master showing us how its done.

Making a marinade for the fish.

Me and my shrimps!

Bananaflower salad with chicken. Delicious!

After cooking classes, a boat ride back to Hoi An

Beautiful Hoi An river scape

Making the rice noodles.

The bones for the Pho stock.

Rock sugar, ginger, cinammon, onions, shallots for the Pho stock.

Making the shrimp packets. 

Opening up the Shrimp packets.

The secret to good Vietnamese cooking - a big mortar and pestle!

Get ready to make a paste!

Cooking Classes in Vietnam: Part 1 The Farm and the Market Place

In 2012, I took a trip to Hoi An, Vietnam and attended a cooking class at the Red Bridge Cooking School and Restaurant. The day started early with a trip to an organic farm where we picked up our herbs and learned about the different type of herbs in Vietnam and their role, both culturally and culinarily. Then we went to the morning market where we bought noodles, vegetables, fish sauce, herbs, spices, and meat. Then to the beautiful cooking school where we made friends and cooked up a storm. Many of these photos come from my friend Susanne. 

Part 1: The Farm and the Marketplace

Memorable meals from 2011

Blood Curry with noodles at the Chatuchak Market in February.

Korean Bulgogi up in the air on Business Class to New York from Seoul on Korean Airlines

Som Tam prepared fresh for me at the UN cafeteria for lunch every day.

Oysters and Muscadet on a little rooftop balcony in Paris with a handsome Swede that I was falling in love with.

Fish Amok in a beautiful old Cambodian house in Siem Riep

Laab Gai in Vientiane, Laos followed by Gin Brambles next to the Mekong river.

Crepe "Complet" with ham, gruyere, and a fried egg at the market in the Louvre.

Black eyed pea pancakes in Malmö with a suitcase filled with smuggled tropical fruit on top washed down with great black coffee and a bit of heart break.

Raw oysters with garlic and chili peppers on the street in Sukhumvit at 3 in the morning after an evening of Karoake.

All you can eat dim sum at the Landmark Plaza hotel with Alec and the look on his face as he bit into a black sesame dumpling cooked in ginger syrup... "Look at it." 

And another fabulous cabbage dish

Cabbage with Hot Sauce

This is more of a method than a recipe, so the quantities I’ve listed below are only approximate. Just taste as you go, and tweak to your liking. It’s hard to mess this up, as long as you get some color on the cabbage.

When choosing an oil for this, be sure to choose one with a high smoke point, the safest bet for high-heat cooking. We usually use canola oil, because I keep it around for making  granola, but we have also used peanut oil and grapeseed oil. (Or, if you’re the type to have lard lying around - ooh la la - you could use that. It has a high smoke point too.) To learn more about high-temperature oils and fats, click over here or here.

½ head green cabbage, quartered and sliced into ¼-inch-thick ribbons
½ medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced (optional)
Canola oil, or another oil with a similarly high smoke point
¼ tsp. to 1 tsp. sambal oelek, to taste
Soy sauce, to taste
Salt, to taste (optional)

Place a wok over high heat. Let it heat thoroughly; it should even smell hot. Working quickly, pour in a glug of oil* and then immediately add the cabbage and the fennel, if using. Stir briefly to coat with oil, and then leave it alone for a minute or so, to allow the vegetables to begin to take on some color. Then add sambal oelek to taste, and stir again. (If you have a hood over your stove, turn on the fan! The hot sauce gives off spicy fumes.) Continue to cook until the vegetables are browned in spots and wilted. It won’t take long. Then add a glug of soy sauce, and stir well again. Taste, and season with more soy sauce or salt as needed.

Serve hot or warm.


From orangette