Thai Basil Pesto Pasta

Garlic Thai Basil Pesto Pasta! Pasta has always been a comforting canvas for a variety of different ingredients—from the delicious combination of tomato paste and heavy cream which creates Rosé pasta to Baked Feta Cheese Pasta. But there is something uniquely exciting about bringing together Italian technique with the intense flavours of Southeast Asia.

If you appreciate Thai food as much as you love Italian food, then you’re in for a treat! We’ve taken the classic Basil Pesto and transformed it into a Garlic Thai Basil Pesto Pasta! Yes! You’ve heard that right, we’ve create a rich garlicky pesto sauce using Thai Basil.

Thai Basil is a unique and interesting herb that is native to Thailand. It has a deep and rich taste that is spicy with a tinge of liquorice flavours. Personally, I love liquorice. Luckily, Thai basil has only a hint of it. So this pasta dish will have its own character. So if you’re looking to jazz up your dinner routine, you’re in the right place.

And, for those of you that are huge fans of Italian basil which has a mellow and minty sweetness. You can totally swap out the Thai basil in place of Italian basil. For years, I have consumed jars of pesto from a renowned Italian brand. I’ve always flipped the bottle around to have a look at the ingredients.

It dawned on me that these companies never use 100 percent Italian basil. In fact the amount used is always in the range of 35 percent. This is an interesting and it means that Pesto is often a combination of a few herbs that complement Italian basil. This is where I got the idea from to try Thai basil in its place. This isn’t a normal type of pesto, we’ve used a lot of garlic. We’re going bold in this recipe and we’ve also toasted up the garlic to enhance sweetness to this dish. We wanted to layer the flavours and create a pasta dish that is earthy, spicy and full of richness.

In this recipe, we used pecan nuts and almond nut as the nutty element. This created a beautiful blend of flavours that were creamy and nutty at the same time. The addition of Parmesan cheese brings out the richness of Thai basil and helped the flavours immensely.

Availability of fresh basil at the supermarket may vary depending on your location. And, sometimes you have to be creative when you are feeling for pesto pasta. In this recipe, we took a chance on thai basil and it paid off. If you want a quick healthy meal in a short amount of time, then give this one a chance. You will be pleasantly surprised. Thai basil has many health benefits that are associated with it. It is rich in antioxidants and vitamins. The nuts provide protein and good fat into your diet. The garlic boosts your immunity.

What is Pesto?

Pesto is the blending of ingredients until it reaches a smooth consistency. You can adjust your pesto using a variety of ingredients such as the type of oil used, cheese and the addition of citrus can add acidity to this recipe.

What do you Need to Make Garlic Thai Basil Pesto?

Thai Basil, Almonds, Pecans, Parmesan cheese, Garlic cloves, Butter, Oyster sauce, Red Chili flakes, Rice Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Pepper and Grapeseed oil.

Thai Basil has an interesting flavour that almost resembles the combination star anise and liquorice. Pecans and almond nuts are used to provide texture and crunch to the pesto. You can use different types of nuts to achieve this flavour such as Peanuts, Cashew nuts and Pine nuts.

We’ve used lots of Garlic in this recipe, along with the red chili flakes, it adds a subtle spiciness to the pesto. Oyster sauce and Rice vinegar add a tangy umami taste. Whereas, Parmesan cheese adds that sharp cheesy flavour. Salt and Pepper are essential along with olive oil.

Instructions

Toast the almond and pecan nuts in a pan on medium low heat. It is best to use unsalted nuts for this recipe. After you’ve toasted the nuts, it will have a very subtle char on the skin of the nuts. Transfer the nuts to a spice grinder and pulse a few times until it transforms into a powder form.

Chop up lots of garlic cloves and add it to a small pot of grapeseed oil. Turn the temperature to medium low and let the garlic brown in the oil. This step will ensure that the oil used in the pesto is properly infused with the flavour of garlic. After the garlic cloves have turned a light brown, add the red chili flakes.

Thoroughly wash the Thai basil leaves. Add the Thai basil into the blender. Blitz it until it it becomes a semi-smooth paste. Try to avoid adding in all the Thai basil leaves at once. Use small amounts at first and then work your way up. Too much basil in the blender, and you risk overwhelming the blades. Add the ground nuts and the garlic along with the chili oil.

Then, pulse until it becomes a pesto paste. Transfer the paste to the same small pan that was used to cook the garlic in, and turn the temperature on the stove to medium low. Cook the paste for two minutes. Add butter, oyster sauce, brown sugar, salt and rice vinegar.

After your Thai basil pesto has developed a dark green colour, place it in a bowl. Mix in your Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust salt, pepper content accordingly. And there it is, your Thai basil pesto pasta. Perfect and delicious for any occasion.

What to Serve with Garlic Thai Basil Pesto?

There are so many dishes that will pair well with this Garlic Thai Basil pesto pasta. Consider garlic bread as a wonderful addition to the flavours of this pasta. Also other Thai recipes such as Tom yum goong, and Panang curry will pair well with this recipe. Especially if you’re having guests over and you want to impress them with this unique dish. Other options include: Caprese Salad, Caesar Salad, Grilled Corn Cob.

How to Store Garlic Thai Basil Pesto?

You can store the Garlic Thai basil pesto in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stove. Its not recommended to freeze the Thai Basil Pesto Pasta, however you can make the pesto and add an extra layer of olive oil on the top which will make it last for five to seven days in the fridge. Thereafter, use where necessary.