Southeast Asian Pesto
- 1/2 cup thai basil leaves
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, more to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons good quality fish sauce or soy sauce
- 1-2 small fresh chili (~1-2 tsp chopped), or to taste
- 1-2 large pinches of sugar
- 1 garlic clove, optional
- neutral cooking oil
- Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulverize. Use the soy sauce if you want a vegetarian/vegan pesto. Slowly drip in oil until you get a paste. The pesto should be somewhat smooth with no big chunks. Taste and adjust to your preference. I usually like a balance of salty/tart/sweet with a little hit of heat.
- Use immediately or freeze for later use.
- Delicious as a dressing in a noodle salad bowl or as a condiment for fish, chicken, and meat.
thai basil, mint leaves, cilantro, peanuts, lemon, fish sauce, fresh chili, sugar, garlic, neutral cooking oil
Taken from food52.com/recipes/22814-southeast-asian-pesto (may not work)