Ulam raja & Thai basil pesto

Don’t know what to do with a bunch of greens? Make a pesto! Here we use ulam raja and Thai basil that grow in abundance at our community garden - more than we know what to do with. Ulam raja has a green mango flavour that pairs really well with the subtly spicy Thai basil. Just make sure you harvest the Thai basil before they go to seed, as the leaves tend to get bitter when they do. Add cilantro if you have that on hand for complexity, brighten it up with a splash of lime juice and you’re good to go. Perfect on its own with rice crackers or on baked fish.

Recipe contributed by Alexys [@syxelala].

Ingredients:

• 40g Thai basil, stems removed

• 50g ulam raja, stems removed

• 10g cilantro (optional)

• 1/2 cup raw cashews

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp lime juice (about half a lime)

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Method:

Step 1
Roast the cashews in a convection oven at 175 degrees C for 10 minutes and let them cool.

Step 2
Combine Thai basil, ulam raja, cilantro, cashew, garlic and lime juice in a food processor. Process until finely minced.

Step 3
With the processor running, add in the olive oil in a stream until well blended, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary.

Step 4
Season with salt and pepper and thin out the pesto with more olive oil if desired.