It's Taco Tuesday! Not that I need a reason or an excuse to make tacos. These Warm Potato & Crispy Chickpea Tacos with Feta & Zhoug were inspired by a container of zhoug I picked up at Trader Joe's yesterday:
"Zhoug (pronounced ZOOg) likely originated in Yemen, and is now popular throughout the Middle East. It’s a cilantro-based sauce/condiment that’s been likened to “Middle Eastern pesto,” but we think that description shortchanges the originality of this spicy, fragrant, fabulously flavorful culinary creation.
It’s a sauce that’s taking the internet by storm – from food blogs to social media feeds, Zhoug is having its moment in the digital sun. And it's about to have its moment in our stores!
Trader Joe’s Zhoug Sauce comes to us from a California vendor well-versed in the art and science of Middle Eastern foods. Here, they’ve put together a very straightforward collection of ingredients – cilantro, canola oil, jalapeño peppers, chile flakes, garlic, cardamom, sea salt, and cumin seeds – to create a sauce/dip/spread/condiment that bursts with vibrant flavor and color."
I've used zhoug as salad dressing, mixed with mayo for sandwiches, as an added flavor in cooked lentils, etc.
Warm Potato & Crispy Chickpea Tacos with Feta & Zhoug
corn tortillas, heated on direct flame, until blustered
red potatoes, cubed, cooked until tender in salted water, kept warm
olive oil
cooked chickpeas
arugula
feta, crumbled
kalamata olives, pitted, chopped
avocado, diced
salt
zhoug
lime juice
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet, add chickpeas and saute until crispy. Add arugula and saute until it wilts.
2. Place warm potatoes on the bottom of corn tortillas and top with the chickpea/arugula mixture, crumbled feta, olives, and diced avocado. Season with salt.
3. Spoon zhoug sauce over tacos and add a bit of lime juice.