Green Hot Sauce 2 Ways

Green hot sauce is a popular condiment served around the world. Today, we'll look at some spicy recipes from Mexico and Yemen. So, get your green chilis ready.

Green hot sauce relies on various green chilis to bring out its flavor. It’s a tasty condiment for dips or food bases. Interestingly, you can find green hot sauce worldwide. Here we’ll cover two popular recipes from Mexico and Yemen. Most of the ingredients are grown in the US, so you can buy somewhat locally and enjoy all that spicy goodness sustainably.

If you run into an issue where you’ve over-spiced your food, check out 10 Foolproof Fixes to Make Food Less Spicy.

1. Salsa Verde Recipe

Our first stop on our green hot sauce tour begins in the Mediterranean and South America. It’s a popular recipe in Spain, Italy, and Mexico. For this recipe, we’ll be following the Mexican version as this comes with a spicy tang. It works great as a dip or red salsa substitute. 

Ingredients:

• 10 tomatillos
• 8 jalapeño or green chili peppers, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Peel away the tomatillos’ outer skin. Rinse the slime from them.
2. Place the tomatillos, chilis, onions, and garlic in a pan. Add water to cover.
3. Add seasoning and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the tomatillos turn brown. Add more water if needed to prevent burning.
5. Remove from heat. Allow to cool.
6. Place the cooked vegetables in a blender and blend till smooth.

You can store the salsa verde in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last 3 to 5 days in the fridge. You can drizzle it with olive oil or lemon juice to make it last a bit longer. It’s also possible to freeze salsa verde for up to 3 months.

2. Zhug Recipe

This green hot sauce originates in Yemen. It uses a flavorful and aromatic sauce made to accompany savory dishes. Some popular uses for this green hot sauce include falafel dip, wraps, and as a base for soup.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup virgin olive oil
• ½ fresh lemon
• 1 handful of parsley, stems removed
• 1 handful of cilantro, stems removed
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 serrano or green chili peppers, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Add oil to coat the blender.
2. Squeeze in your lemon. You can use the lemon skin to grate in some lemon zest.
3. Take the remaining ingredients and add them to the blender.
4. Blend till a smooth paste is achieved. Add more oil as needed.
5. Put your green sauce in an airtight container and store in the fridge at least 1 hour before serving.

The sauce will last up to 1 week in the fridge. Zhug can also be frozen to eat later. Though it might not have as much kick.

Read on:

• How to Make Homemade Hummus
• How to Make Basil Pesto: Traditional and Vegan Recipe
• Easy Chimichurri Sauce: Recipe & 5 Uses

** Links to retailers marked with ** or underlined orange are partially partner links: If you buy here, you actively support Utopia.org, because we will receive a small part of the sales proceeds. More info.

Tags: Cooking Guide Natural Recipes