Zhoug

Ingredients

• 6 pieces green chillies
• 80 g fresh coriander
• 40 g flat-leaf parsley
• 4 pieces garlic cloves
• 6 pieces green cardamom pods
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 100 ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt

Steps

1. 1
   Crack the cardamom pods, discard the husks and grind the black seeds to a powder. Ground cardamom from a jar has nothing like the same perfume.
2. 2
   Stem the chillies. Leave the seeds for full heat or remove them for something manageable.
3. 3
   Pulse the chillies, garlic and salt in a processor to a rough paste.
4. 4
   Add the herbs — stalks included, they carry a lot of flavour — and pulse in short bursts. Over-processing turns it into a dark, bitter sludge.
5. 5
   Add the ground cardamom, cumin and coriander.
6. 6
   Pour in the olive oil with the motor running just until it comes together as a loose, textured relish.
7. 7
   Stir in the lemon juice by hand. Cover with a film of oil and refrigerate; it keeps ten days.