pasta with vietnamese pesto

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 pound dried rice noodles
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup sweet thai basil
• 2 cloves garlic, halved
• 1/2 teaspoon minced lemon grass bulb
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetarian fish sauce
• 4 tablespoons chopped, unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
• 7 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 lime, cut into wedges
• salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 5 mins Ready Time: 35 mins


• soak rice noodles in a large bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. drain the noodles, and set them aside.
• make the pesto: in a blender or food processor combine the chopped cilantro, basil, garlic cloves, lemongrass, jalapeno peppers, imitation fish sauce or salt, and 2 tablespoons of the peanuts. whirl just until the herbs and peanuts are coarsely chopped. while the machine is running add the oil in a thin stream. then add the remaining peanuts and run the machine in short spurts until the peanuts are coarsely chopped.
• place soaked rice noodles into a large skillet with 1/2 cup water over medium-high heat. stir until most of the water has been absorbed and the noodles are tender.
• add almost all of the pesto, and stir well, adding a few tablespoons of water if the pesto is clumping.
• taste the pasta and add more pesto, lime juice, imitation fish sauce, salt, or pepper if you like. garnish the pasta with the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanuts, and serve right away.