Wild Garlic Zhough

 So wild garlic season is well and truly here and I have been using it in so many different ways! It is one of my favourite wild plants and grows in most woodlands and shady areas.
I have a forest of it literally across the road, and I also have a patch of wild garlic in my garden, which is spreading every year, so I have a constant supply during the growing season!

One of the ways I like to use wild garlic is in this delicious spicy green sauce, called Zhoug, which originates in the Far East and is made with varying degrees of spiciness!

I am a chilli wimp and literally can't handle hot spicy food so I like to make a tame version, but you can make this as hot and spicy as you like!

This is such an intense sauce, its a beautiful vibrant colour and will really tingle your taste buds! It's also extremely versatile and can be stirred into natural yoghurt, couscous or grain salad, soup, or mixed with coconut milk and served with oven roast veggies for a delicious spicy dinner!

Coriander, flat leaf parsley, mint and wild garlic can be used or a combination of them! I have made a wild garlic/coriander and a wild garlic/mint combo and both were delicious!

Coriander is a great detoxifier and remover of heavy metals from the body and mint is great for the digestion.
It goes without saying that all dark green leafy plants are highly nutritious and packed with vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, protein and a great source of prebiotic fibre for our gut microbes!

Using wild foraged greens is such a great way of adding diversity to our gut microbiome, and diversity equals resilience for our health so it makes sense to make use of natures bounty!

Always be sure of what you are picking, use a plant id app, to double check and if in doubt then leave it out!

Wild garlic is easy to identify, it smells intensely of garlic, so follow your nose! I posted a photo at the end of this post.

In the absence of wild garlic just use a combination of coriander/flat leaf parsley/mint and add a few cloves of garlic.

You can add as many chillies as you want but as I am a chilli wimp 2 standard green chillies is enough for me! you can leave the seeds in for extra heat! I have also made this with padron peppers which aren't spicy at all but the sauce was still delicious, so just use your discretion!

Cardamon, cumin, salt, black peppercorns, lemon and oil are the other ingredients you will need to make this delicious sauce.

Here is the recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of wild garlic leaves, about 2 packed cups full 
• 1 large bunch  of coriander, flat leaf parsley or mint
• 2 to 4 chillies, keep the seeds for extra heat, or remove them for a milder flavour
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon seasalt or Himalyan salt
• seeds of 4 or 5 cardamon pods
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2/3 cup of olive, rapeseed, or extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Crush the seeds and black peppercorns with the salt in a pestle and mortar.
2. Add the wild garlic and coriander or mint, to a food processor or blender with the oil, lemon juice and crushed spices.
3. Blitz into a vibrant green sauce.
4. Store in the fridge or freeze it in ice cube trays to add great flavour to soups, curries and dips.
5. This will keep for around 2 weeks in the fridge.