Vietnamese Pesto

I just finished making my first Vietnamese Pesto and feel so excited about it, I am going to share the recipe with our internet community.

I always wanted to make a pesto here in Vietnam, but finding pine nuts and the original italian basil is not so easy, so I created a pesto with all Vietnamese ingredients.

This pesto is packed with antioxidants as it is high in Vitamin E and C protecting your cells from free radicals.

Most people use Pesto traditionally with pasta, which is high in carbs and calories. Try swapping pasta with vegetables for a lower carb option.

Try it on vegetables, as a dip for carrots, cucumbers or broccoli or as a spread on your Banh My. It goes also very well with your classic Mozzarella Tomato salad.

Vietnamese pesto is high in fat and calories, but also contains many nourishing ingredients. As with all good things in life, this vietnamese pesto is healthy, in moderation.

And now let’s take a look on how to make your Vietnamese Pesto.

Here is what you need for your Vietnamese Pesto:

Vietnamese Pesto Ingredients:

100 gr	Raw or roasted unsalted peanuts
150 ml	Sesame oil
2 pieces	Lime
1 handful	Vietnamese basil leaves
1 handful	Coriander leaves
3 cloves	Garlic
10 pieces	small red shallots
10 gr	Palm sugar
1 tablespoon	Fish sauce
1 thumb	Ginger
5 gr	green peppercorn
1 piece	green chili (remove seeds)

Equipment:

a handheld food processor

Vietnamese Pesto Recipe:

Chop peanuts in food processor until they become a bit bigger than sand grain size
Remove from food processor
Chop basil, coriander, garlic, ginger, chili, shallots, green pepper and palm sugar
Add chopped peanuts to food processor
Add juice of two lemons, fish sauce and oil
Blend until pesto has a spreadable consistency
Store in glass container in fridge

Enjoy!!
For more information about antioxidants take a look at this post.