So enthralled with flavors of #southeastasia that I made my own Vietnamese pesto so I can whip up something quickly without the time consuming preparation of the aromatics. Although nothing compares to the freshly prepped authentic herbs and spices and this pesto isn’t exactly Vietnamese in origin, I can infuse its favors in my dishes anytime I have a craving.
In a food processor:
-1 cup sesame oil
-1/2 cup peanuts or
-3 tbsp fish sauce
-2 tbsp brown sugar
-1-2 stalks lemongrass (white part only)
-2 tsp grated ginger
-3 cloves garlic
-1/2 tsp chili flakes
-1/2 cup packed Thai basil leaves
-1 cup packed whole cilantro
-1/2 cup kinchay or Chinese flat leaf parsley
-1/4 cup culantro (if available)
Blitz until it resembles paste. Add more sesame oil if too thick. It should resemble like Italian pesto. Look out for my next post on how I use it.
