Schug – Yemeni seasoning paste

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 1 bunch parsley, flat
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 8 jalapeño(s), green or pepper
• 2 small organic limes
• 1 tbsp, heaped cumin, whole
• 1 tbsp, sautéed coriander seeds
• Olive oil, best quality
• Sea salt and pepper from the mill

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

with jalapeños, coriander and garlic

Wash the parsley and cilantro and roughly chop, including the stems. Peel and halve the garlic cloves. Depending on your preference and how spicy you like them, deseed the jalapeños or use them with the seeds. Roughly chop them as well. Grate some of the zest from one lime and squeeze the juice from both limes. Dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds in a pan until fragrant. Be careful, they burn easily and then become very bitter! Place all prepared ingredients in a food processor, adding a few tablespoons of water if necessary. Blend, adding enough olive oil to form a paste that’s still somewhat chunky. Season with sea salt, pepper, and perhaps a little sugar. If you don’t have a food processor, a hand blender will work in a pinch, but it’s difficult to achieve the desired consistency. Traditionally, everything is chopped by hand with a sharp knife, so that the sauce doesn’t become “mushy,” but the herbs and seeds are still recognizable. Poured into a clean jar and covered with olive oil, the paste will keep for at least two weeks in the refrigerator. It can be used as a marinade for vegetables or meat, added to salad dressing, drizzled over labneh, a Middle Eastern yogurt specialty, or hummus, or simply dipped with fresh pita bread. Since jalapeños and hot peppers vary greatly in their spiciness, it’s best to try them first. The paste is actually quite hot, but if you’re sensitive to hot peppers, you can also make it with mild green peppers; it will still taste deliciously fresh and aromatic.