Asian Pesto

Name: Asian Pesto
Yield: Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients: 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves; 2 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger; 3 cups packed fresh basil leaves; 3 cups packed fresh cilantro leaves; Zest and juice of 1 medium lime; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, or to taste; 3 tablespoons chopped poached or toasted garlic; 1 teaspoon seeded and finely chopped serrano chile, or to taste; ½ cup or so peanut or olive oil; ½ cup or so peanut or olive oil; ¼ cup chopped dry-roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews; ¼ cup chopped dry-roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews; Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation info

Makes about
1½ cups

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Cooking One on One

By John Ash

Published 2004

About

To complete the transformation from Mediterranean to Asian, substitute a teaspoon or two of Asian chili-garlic sauce for the serrano chile. Toss with some fresh or dried Chinese noodles for a new take on pasta al pesto.

Ingredients

3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
3 cups packed fresh cilantro leaves
1

Side dish
Sauce
Vegan
Gluten-free

Method

Drop the Basil, cilantro, and mint into a pot of lightly salted boiling water for 5 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain, squeeze dry, and chop the herbs. Transfer to a blender or food processor, and add the ginger, garlic, chile, lime zest and juice, sesame oil, and peanuts. Pulse a few times to chop and then, with the motor running,