Red Zhoug

Ingredients

• 1 cup grapeseed oil
• 2 large red bell peppers, stemmed and seeded, cut into 8 pieces
• 8 Fresno chiles (see headnote) stemmed and seeded, cut in half
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground green cardamom pods, with the husks
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 garlic cloves, grated with a Microplane
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons packed cilantro leaves, chopped

Steps

1. Add the oil to a large sauté pan and place on the stove over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the bell peppers and chiles and fry while continuously stirring for about 10 minutes, until the peppers start to blister and darken in color. If at any time the peppers start to burn, decrease the heat slightly.
2. Remove the peppers and chiles from the oil, set aside, and let cool. Add the cooled fried peppers and chiles and the paprika, turmeric, cloves, cardamom, cumin, salt, garlic, and lemon juice to a food processor and blend, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula when necessary, until the mixture is the consistency of a chunky puree, about 2minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool, then add the cilantro and stir to combine. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.