3.9/5 rating (15 votes)

Mint and Roasted Cashew Pesto

Heat Mild
Serves 6
Dietary Info VEGETARIAN VEGAN CONTAINS-NUTS LACTOSE-FREE DAIRY-FREE HEALTHY WHEAT-FREE GLUTEN-FREE
Prep 10 mins

Hari says
I love pesto. I think it's the flavour of the garlic with the smooth creamy pine nuts and fresh basil that is so intoxicating. With many Indian dishes, we tend to go for a tangy chutney but when I was creating a lamb dish recently, I wanted to pair it with something more Indian than a pesto but not too harsh like a chutney. I tried a few classic Indian ingredients and came up with this mint and roasted cashew pesto and I love it. It's great with meat and I have even had it with pasta and I liked it. It's really versatile and keeps in the fridge for a good few weeks.

Ingredients
Method

130g cashew nuts, unsalted
½ tsp cumin seeds
60g of fresh coriander including stems if they are soft
25g of mint leaves,
2-3 of green chillies (optional)
1 clove of garlic (add another if you like more garlicky)
60ml rapeseed oil (approx) you may need a little more
1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Toast cashew nuts in a dry frying pan on a gentle heat. Just as they turn golden, add the cumin seeds. Once fragrant, remove from the pan and leave to cool for a few minutes.
Place all the ingredients into a blender except for the oil and lemon and start to blitz.
Pour in the oil while it's blending, until the pesto is smooth. If you prefer a more textured pesto then leave it a little more chunky.
Squeeze in the lemon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Give it a final blitz to mix everything and taste, adjust seasoning to suit your taste buds.

N.B You can miss out the chillies if you want a basic pesto.