This is a pasta dish I made last week using a Vietnamese-inspired version of pesto. It didn’t take long to make in the food processor, and was savory and earthy tasting and deeply flavourful.
I was re-introduced to perilla in its Vietnamese form this summer, when I discovered that a Vietnamese grocery store near our house always carries it, and it’s only 99 cents a bag! Their herbs are always fresh and in really good shape, so I buy them often. Tia to does not taste exactly like Japanese shiso, and it looks like a cross between red and green shiso; I usually find that one side of the leaf looks reddish-purple, while the other side is green. I really like to use this herb in spring rolls and in pho, and was looking for a recipe that would highlight it more prominently.
pesto made with 'tia to'-- Vietnamese perilla
Traditional pesto made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese and olive oil is certainly delicious, but it is also fun to experiment with using different herbs to create pesto with entirely new flavours. For this one I started with a big bunch of Vietnamese perilla leaves (tia to) and decided to pair them with the pine nuts, lots of garlic, and a little rice bran oil. I didn’t think that parmesan would pair well with the distinctive flavour of perilla (though it might… try it and let me know!) so I decided to use a little fish sauce instead, for that umami taste, and some saltiness. It’s actually really good if you use a little more fish sauce than you think you should, so don’t be shy. Though, do taste-test it often as you blend the ingredients together, to make sure it’s not too salty or too garlicky, etc.
I’m not giving an actual recipe for this one, because I think pesto depends a lot on individual taste. As a starting point I would say you’d need a big bunch of perilla, maybe 1/3 cup of pine nuts, a little oil, several cloves of garlic and a tablespoon or two of fish sauce. Definitely try it frequently as you blend it in the food processor, until it tastes right to you.
If you like the taste of perilla (also known as shiso or beefsteak leaves) you’ll love the taste of this pesto. I served it on rice noodles, topped with a little Thai basil. I actually preferred it served at room temperature or a little cooler, so don’t panic if your noodles get cold while you’re tossing them with the pesto.
This recipe, of course, is neither authentic Vietnamese cuisine nor Italian, but is certainly delicious. I recommend it, heartily.
Have you tried making pesto with herbs (or greens) other than basil? If so, what was your favorite?
I hope you enjoy your first autumn weekend of 2009!
Love,
Meg xo
Tags: herbs, Vietnamese
