Zchug, a type of hot sauce from Yemen, immigrated with Yeminite Jews to Israel. Spicy with chili, spicy with garlic, and fragrant with exotic cardamom, it has become the Israeli national condiment. Think ketchup for Americans and salsa for Mexicans, kim chee for Koreans. Without these blessed sauces, the national kitchens would be really bare. Why is tschug so popular? It’s hard to say, but it seems to be because its sweat-inducing fire fits well with the hot desert winds that blow intermittently across all the countries bordering the Mediterranean.
You may not have time to take a trip to Israel, but you sure can get a taste of the land by making some tzjug. Get this right and you’ll start to get an idea of Israeli cuisine. This is how you make yourself some delicious zchug. Be careful, though, it’s hot!
To make about 2 cups, ingredients include 5-8 minced garlic cloves; 2-3 medium hot chiles, such as jalapeños; 5 fresh or canned tomatoes, chopped; 1 small bunch of coriander [cilantro], coarsely chopped; 1 small bunch of chopped parsley; 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil; 2 t of ground cumin; ½ t turmeric and ½ t curry powder; seeds of 3-5 cardamom pods; juice of a small lemon; a pinch of sugar and a little salt to taste.
Put all of these ingredients except the sugar and salt in a food processor and blend until the mixture appears to be well combined. Then add sugar and salt to taste. Scoop the sauce into a serving bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Zchug can also be added to about 14 oz of tomatoes or a combination of fresh and canned tomatoes to make a Yemenite chutney. Mix with about ½ cup tchug and dip into cut up vegetables or toasted pita slices. This is really delicious. Zchug is also the base for hilbeh, a spicy tomato condiment that is created by adding fenugreek seed paste to 1 tablespoon of tzchug and 2 diced tomatoes. Create the paste by soaking 2 tablespoons of fenugreek seeds in cold water for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight. Season the hilbeh with salt and black pepper.
