Asian Style Pesto

This pesto is great for noodles, pasta and pizza (yes I said pizza). Teriyaki Asian Pesto Pizza recipe below.

Asian Style Pesto

Ingredients

½ cup raw peanuts
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 large bunch basil (2 cups tightly packed leaves, plus sprigs for garnish)
1 bunch mint (½ cup tightly packed leaves, plus sprigs for garnish)
1 bunch cilantro (1 cup tightly packed leaves, plus sprigs for garnish)
1 tsp. salt, or more to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1/4-1/2 cup peanut or canola oil and sesame oil combined
1 tsp. chili sauce (I used sambal olak but you can use any)
1 Tbls agave or sugar


Method

Roast peanuts in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes.
Remove and pulse in food processor with garlic, not into a paste just into crumbles.
Place into a bowl and then add all the herbs to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Add herbs to bowl and mix into the peanuts with the oil, salt, lime juice, chili sauce and agave.
Pesto is ready for use!

Before I went vegan I loved a pizza from the Gourmet Pizza Kitchen in Australia which had prawns cooked in Teriyaki sauce with an Asian pesto. This is a vegan replica I tried out. DELICIOUS! Not exactly like I remember it but still a great pizza.

Teriyaki Asian Pesto Pizza

Ingredients

1/4-1/2 cup Asian Pesto (recipe above)
1 batch Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 batch fried tofu (small cubes) - alternatively you could use vegan chicken or prawns
Fresh coriander/cilantro
1 GF Pizza Base
Fresh lime (for serving)
Agave for serving(optional)

Method

Spread the pesto on the pizza base.
Cook at 400F for 20-40 mins (depending on if your pizza base was cooked to begin with or raw).
Dredge the tofu in the Teriyaki sauce.
Remove pizza from oven and scatter tofu pieces and drizzle on the remaining Teriyaki sauce.
Scatter cilantro leaves and a spritz of lime if desired.
I also like a final drizzle of agave syrup.