Soba Noodles with Thai Pesto

After picking up a bunch of Thai basil in Chinatown for a recipe that only required a few leaves, I needed to come up with something to do with the rest of the bunch. “Why not make pesto with a Thai twist?” I thought. I threw my experiment in the blender and was happy with the result, and my first instinct was to add the Thai pesto to cold Asian noodles, which is what I did in the recipe below.

While the noodle dish is excellent, you can also use Thai pesto on stir-fried or grilled vegetables, meats, and seafood, and thinned with a bit of sesame oil and rice vinegar, it would make an excellent dressing for Asian greens.

Soba Noodles with Thai Pesto

12 oz. buckwheat soba noodles
1 T. coconut oil
Splash sesame oil
½ c. Thai pesto (see recipe below)
1 cup cooked shelled edamame
Handful shredded cabbage

Cook the noodles in boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl with the coconut oil, sesame oil, Thai pesto, edamame, and cabbage. Toss until the noodles are coated with the pesto and the oil. Place the bowl in your refrigerator. Serve cold, garnishing with extra basil or sesame seeds if desired.


Thai Pesto

¼ c. peanuts, coarsely chopped
Leaves from 1 large bunch Thai basil
Leaves from 1 small bunch mint
2-3 Thai or Serrano chiles (use as many or as few as you’d like)
1 t. grated ginger
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
¼ c. canola oil (plus more if needed)

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until it forms a thick, smooth paste, adding more oil if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

* Nutritional info: serves 4. 391 calories, 45 g fat, 67 g carbohydrates, 24 g protein.