Sahawiq

Ingredients

Green sahawiq

• 8green chillies
• 1large bunch coriander
• 1 bunchflat parsley
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 1 tspground cumin
• ½ tspground cardamom
• 1 tspsalt
• 3 tbspolive oil
• juice of 1 lemon

Red sahawiq

• 6red chillies
• 4tomatoes
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 1 tspcumin
• 1 tspsalt

Optional

• a few caraway seeds
• 1 tbspwater

Equipment

• a stone mortar, traditionally

To serve

• with everything: bread, saltah, rice, eggs, grilled meat

Directions

1. Deseed them if you want it milder, or leave the seeds in for the full heat. Yemeni sahawiq is genuinely hot and the heat is the point of it, so removing all the seeds gives you a herb paste rather than a relish.
2. Wash the coriander and parsley and use the tender stalks as well as the leaves. Dry the herbs thoroughly in a cloth or a spinner.
3. Add the chillies and pound them into the garlic paste. Add them gradually. Work it into a coarse green paste with visible flecks rather than a smooth purée. The texture should be rough.
4. Add the ground cumin and cardamom and pound them through. Stir the olive oil and lemon juice through the paste.
5. Add the lemon and oil at the end rather than pounding them in, which keeps the colour bright.
6. Taste it very cautiously on the tip of a spoon. It should be fiercely hot, sharply herbal and clearly garlicky, in that order. Let it stand 30 minutes before serving so the flavours settle.
7. Spoon it into a jar and cover the surface with a film of oil. That oil seal keeps air off it and slows the colour going dark, and it keeps about a week in the fridge.

Technique

• Zhug is the same relish under its Yemeni Jewish name and is now standard across Israel.
• The colour darkens after a day or two, which is normal and does not mean it has spoiled.
• It freezes well in small portions or in an ice cube tray.

Substitutions

• A blender pulsed briefly, accepting a coarser and less good result.
• Any hot green chilli, adjusting for its heat.

Variations

• Sahawiq ahmar, the red tomato version.
• With a little grated hard cheese, which is done in some households.
• Zhug, the same thing with the Israeli name and often more cardamom.

History

Chilli, coriander and tomato relish pounded in a stone mortar, known as zhug among Yemeni Jews.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sahawiq?

Sahawiq is a sauce & condiment from Yemen: fresh green chili-tomato relish, ancestor of zhug. Chilli, coriander and tomato relish pounded in a stone mortar, known as zhug among Yemeni Jews.

How long does Sahawiq take to make?

Sahawiq takes 20 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes about 300 ml. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Sahawiq?

Yes, within limits. A blender pulsed briefly, accepting a coarser and less good result. Any hot green chilli, adjusting for its heat.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sahawiq?

Deseed them if you want it milder, or leave the seeds in for the full heat. Yemeni sahawiq is genuinely hot and the heat is the point of it, so removing all the seeds gives you a herb paste rather than a relish.