Shatta is a hot and spicy herb and chile pepper relish with the consistency of pesto.
It is the red version of Zhoug. In place of Zhoug’s green chile peppers, though Shatta calls for red ones, and whereas in Zhoug everything is puréed together all at once, in order to preserve a red colour Shatta calls for its red peppers to be puréed separately and set aside. The rest of the ingredients are then puréed, and the red peppers mixed in at the end.
The mixture ends up a bright red paste.
Shatta is meant to be milder than Zhoug, so aim to use mild red chiles.
Shatta can be bought already made up in jars at ethnic stores.
Cooking Tips
Shatta can be used as a condiment or a cooking ingredient.
Storage Hints
All recipes say you can keep it in the refrigerator for several months, though it’s not clear what would keep it preserved and safe.
