Add a Local Flair: Prickly Pear Zhoug Recipe

Photo of Kelly Athena from Cactus Kelly foraging prickly pear in Arizona.

Zhoug, pronounced “zoog,” is a Middle Eastern condiment made of cilantro, chiles, spices,  and olive oil. Pig and the Peanut, one of our community kitchen food entrepreneurs, has transformed this traditional recipe with a Sonoran twist by adding pureed prickly pear and chiltepin peppers sourced by local forager, Cactus Kelly. 

This sauce can be used on basically everything, but especially takes eggs to the next level, in grain bowls, salads, sandwiches, alongside dips and yogurts, and so much more.

HOW TO MAKE PRICKLY PEAR ZHOUG

Ingredients:

  • 20 prickly pears, cut and peeled as instructed below

  • about 2 cups sugar (1/2 cups sugar per 1 cup of prickly pear juice)

  • about 1 cup lemon juice (¼ cup lemon juice per 1 cup of prickly pear juice)

  • ½  teaspoon powdered pectin dissolved in 1 Tablespoon hot water

  • 1 bunch cilantro - cut at the base of the leaves where they begin to thicken (about 3” up the stem), mince the remaining leaves + stems very finely

  • 10 dried chiltepin peppers, ground (these are VERY SPICY so use gloves when handling and adjust the amount depending on your tolerance)

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation:

Prepare the prickly pears: With a paring knife cut off both ends of the fruit. Score the skin vertically to a depth of about ⅛ of an inch. Use your fingers to peel away the skin to expose the edible fruit. 

In a medium saucepan, add the prickly pears and add water to cover the fruit.  Simmer, smashing the fruit and adding more water as needed to keep them covered until the fruit is very soft about 1 hour. Pour the juice through a fine-mesh strainer, using the back of a spoon to push the fruit down. Measure how much juice you have. Add ½ cup of sugar (less or more depending on your tastes) to the prickly pear juice per cup of yield (you should have at least 4 cups) and ¼ cup fresh lemon juice per 1 cup of juice. Taste the mixture as you add sugar to adjust for your specific tastes. Add the prickly pear, lemon juice, sugar, pectin mixture back to the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened to a very thin jam or thicker syrup, stirring constantly. Let it cool to room temperature. Once cool, add chiltepin, cilantro, and cumin and mix very well. 

Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Serve on everything.

Guest User