RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Yemenite Chili Chutney: S'khug #3 - pareve
In article <35E4B35A.5305@erols.com>, Karen says... > >Ruth Heiges wrote: >> >> S'khug >> Hot Green Chili Chutney >> >> Green s'khug is generally "hotter" than the red. I'll see whether I >> can find one for the latter. > >Ruth, > >The information you've supplied for zhoug and shatta (red zhoug) >pecisely matches what I've learned from my reading, but frankly I'm >confused. > >THE YEMENITE COOKBOOK, which is my source for the recipes, calls for red >chili peppers for Shatta and green chili peppers for Zhoug. As you've >said, the intended effect is that zhoug is supposed to be significantly >hotter than Shatta (or red zhoug). In every other detail the two >recipes are identical according to THE YEMENITE COOKBOOK. > >So here's the problem: My experience is that color no indication of >heat. I've bought very mild green chile peppers (e.g. Anaheim) and I've >bought hot green chile peppers(e.g. jalapeno). I've experienced the same >variability buying red chile peppers. > >My only solution is to suggest that someone who wishes to make either >Shatta or Zhoug, use a chile pepper for its degree of heat, regardless >of its color. Your point is well taken. Perhaps in this part of the world there is not as great a variety of peppers and range of intensity. It is an "article of faith" that red Z'houg [no uniform way of spelling it; the ~ou~ is pronounced as a "short" ~oo~, as in houmous] is milder than green. So, I'm inclined to go with Claudia Roden's variation in The Book of Jewish Food. She notes that it is a "Jewish specialty in Yemen ... commonplace in Israel ... A medium-hot variety of chili, 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) long, is used." Hers is the only recipe I've found which details what types of peppers to use. Ruth Green Zhoug Yemeni Chili Relish ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 cups fresh coriander, or 1 cup each of coriander and parsley 1/2 lb (250 g) fresh medium-hot chilies 6 garlic cloves, crushed or minced 1 teaspoon caraway seeds Seeds of 4 cardamom pods 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 5 Tablespoons cold water or sunflower oil Cut off the coriander roots but keep the stems. Wash well and squeeze the water out with your hands. Remove the parsley stems. Blend all the ingredients together to a rough paste in a food processor and press into a jar. I use sunflower oil instead of water -- I prefer the texture, and that way it keeps for many weeks. Store in the refrigerator. Variations: -- You can make this relish successfully with very hot chilies. In that case, use only 3--4 chilies. -- For a red zhoug blend red chilies with 6 medium tomatoes (you do not need to peel them) and add salt to taste.
