Today I opened my fridge and found a bunch of cilantro entirely wilted. This is because I had to cook for a large dinner party last Thursday and forgot to store it properly. I had the impulse to throw it away, but then I thought, why not make a pesto? The result was terrific, so today, I’ll share my recipe.
I was obsessed with Vietnamese food before visiting Vietnam, and ever since I went there, my obsession has grown. While in Vietnam, I learned that Pho is not a soup but a kind of noodle and that you can order it without broth. This fact inspired me to bring my Italian roots and give it a shot: Pesto pasta but as a cold dish with Vietnamese flavors.
Since this is a recipe that I made with what I had available in the fridge, I used a 7-minute runny egg as my protein and charred some frozen yellow corn for contrast and a hint of sweetness. I finished the dish with toasted peanuts. I served this dish as a cold-noodle dish. Ideal for a hot day. Enjoy!
Pho Noodles with Vietnamese Pesto
A cold noodle dish prepared like a western.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted Peanuts
- 1 Bunch of Cilantro
- 1 tsp Peanut Oil
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1 clove of Garlic
- 1 tsp minced Ginger.
- 1 Thai green chile.
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 Scallion Green (you can place the white part in a glass of water and it will grow another green)
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Water (Or enough to thin out the sauce)
- 90g of Pho noodles
- 1 Egg
- ¼ cup frozen yellow Corn
Directions
- In a skillet, over high heat, toast the peanuts until lightly charred. Remove and chop if necessary.
- In a medium pot or saucepan, boil water and blanch your cilantro until bright green, about 10 seconds. Reserve the water to cook the noodles and egg.
- In a food processor, combine the peanuts (reserving some for garnish) in a food processor, blanched cilantro, peanut oil, lime juice, garlic, ginger, thai chile, fish sauce, scallion greens, and cornstarch. Process until smooth, adding water to thin the sauce out. The salt level should be appropriate but feel free to add more water or salt to adjust.
- Cook your pho noodles and egg in the blanching water for 7 minutes. Remove both and immediately cool down with cold water.
- In the skillet where you toasted the peanuts, over high heat, add the corn (adding some oil) and lightly char, about 3 minutes.
- Toss the noodles in the sauce, and transfer to a serving plate. Peel your egg and cut it in half, then top your noodles with the egg, corn, and peanuts. Enjoy!
In-flight Project 