For todays recipe I am taking a trip back to Israel, to recreate a taste of something I became completely enamoured with, Zhoug. I visited the country last year with Vibe Israel on a tour to explore the food and specifically the baking of Israel. We spent time in kitchens with bakers of all stripes, wandering through local markets and eating everything we could get out hands on. There was so many things that stood out to me, the breads, the hummus, the ever present tahini and of course the zhoug. Zhoug is a Yemenite herb and chilli sauce that is incredibly popular across the country and in the wider region. Made with green chillies, parsley and coriander it varied a little every time we tried a different version, and it felt like we tried a different version every day of the trip. Some were made solely with coriander, some were incredibly fiery, some a little tamer. I had it served with falafel, served as a dip for breads, served in sabich (the incredible vegetarian pitta sandwich stuffed with aubergine, egg and seemingly every salad ingredient you could hope for) and as part of an incredible boureka sandwich at Lehamim Bakery in Tel Aviv (I will be recreating these soon). I had tried the sauce once before, back home in London, at the Good Egg restaurant, and their version was a tad sweeter, also excellent. I have been meaning to make a batch ever since I got home but it wasn’t until this idea came to mind that I pushed forward and whipped up a batch.

That idea was a breakfast sandwich, specifically a breakfast sandwich made with a sesame encrusted English muffin, zhoug, egg and cheese. It was inspired by my favourite New York breakfast sandwich, a classic BEC, a bacon egg and cheese. It is a staple of New York bodegas and delis and it’s something I almost always get when I’m in the fog of jet lag when im visiting NYC. This version is my Israeli take on that sandwich. Originally I wanted an alternative to the traditional bacon or sausage but the Zhoug has such a punch of flavour it really doesn’t need anything, although this with bacon would be a very good idea. I also cannot tell you just how much I love this sandwich, it’s ridiculously good. 

Zhoug
30g parsley
30g coriander 
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp ground coriander 
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
3 large jalapeños 
125ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp coarse ground salt
2 tsp lemon juice
Pinch or two of sugar

Sesame English Muffins
450g white bread flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
7g fast action dried yeast
1 tsp fine salt
30g unsalted butter, room temperature
325ml whole milk
3 tsp sesame oil
100g sesame seeds

ZEC - Zhoug Egg & Cheese
1 sesame English muffin, lightly toasted and buttered
1 large spoonful of zhoug
1 large egg
Cheddar cheese, grated

To make the zhoug add the parsley, coriander, garlic, ground coriander, ground cumin, chilli flakes and jalapeños (I buy my chillis from the farmers market and they are big boys, if you’re using jalapeños from the supermarket they tend to be much smaller so you may need to use as many as 6 but you can also vary the amount depending on the heat level you prefer). Process until everything is finely chopped and a sauce like consistency has started to form. With the food processor still running pour in the olive oil processing until a smooth bright green sauce has been formed. Add the salt, lemon and a little pinch of sugar and process to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Scrape the mixture into a jar and refrigerate until needed. I find that with the aggression of the food processor the flavour can change after a days rest, it melds together and mellows a little.

To make the the English muffins place the flour, sugar, yeast and salt into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix briefly to combine. Add the butter, milk and sesame oil (you can leave out if making classic muffins) and mix on low/medium speed until a shaggy dough forms. Continue kneading the dough on low/medium speed for about 10-15 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic and passes the windowpane test (you should be able to stretch a piece of the dough nice and thin, without it tearing, so you almost see through the dough. 

Tip the dough out on the worksurface and form into a neat ball, place into a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Set the dough aside for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size. You can test the dough is ready by lightly pressing the dough with a floured finger. The indentation should spring back slowly, not springing back entirely. If the dough springs back fully and quickly it needs longer, if the impression holds its shape it may be overproofed. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured worksurface and knock back. Roll the dough out until about 2cm (just under an inch) thick. Use a 8cm round cookie cutter to cut out as many muffins as possible. You can press the offcuts together to reuse but I would do this just once, the more you knead this dough the tougher it will become to work with. You should get around 12 muffins. 

At this point you have a couple options. If you want to make classic muffins you can line a couple baking trays and sprinkle with a thin layer of cornmeal or you if you want to make sesame encrusted muffins you can line the trays with parchment paper and pour the sesame seeds into a small bowl. Most recipes for muffins have you add the muffins straight on top of the cornmeal but after making the sesame encrusted muffins I came up with a new method that I use whatever style of muffins I am making. Take a couple sheets of paper kitchen towels and fold into a square that it just a little larger than the muffins, wet the kitchen towel so its fairly moist. Working with one muffin at a time gently press the moist towel onto both sides to moisten the surface of the muffins. If making the classic version place onto the cornmeal sprinkled baking tray, sprinkling the top of the muffin with extra cornmeal. If making the sesame version sprinkle both sides with a liberal coating of sesame seeds and then place the muffins onto the parchment lined trays.

Lightly cover the trays and set aside for about 45-60 minutes or until the muffins are risen and puffy, but not quite doubled in size. Whilst the muffins are rising preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC).

Place a large frying pan (a cast iron skillet works best here) over low/medium heat and, once heated up, place as many muffins as you can fit into the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. At this stage it’s worth noting that sesame muffins won’t get as even browning as classic muffins. Transfer the muffins to a parchment lined baking tray and transfer to the oven for 6-7 minutes, taking them out before they brown on the sides. Remove and set onto a wire rack to cool. Continue this process until all the muffins are baked. Dont be tempted to wait for multiple batches to be finished in the cast iron pan before transferring to the oven, it is better to get the muffins into the oven as soon as they are finished in the pan. 

To assemble the sandwich split open a muffin, toast lightly and spread one side with zhoug. Whisk the egg until uniform then add to a small non-stick pan, greased with a little butter, set over medium heat. Stir the egg very briefly as if making scrambled egg then leave alone. Add a little grated cheddar cheese to the centre of the egg and when it is still a little wet on top fold the edges of the egg over the cheese creating a little egg parcel, cook for a minute more before adding to the zhoug topped muffin. Top with the second half of the muffin and serve.