Thailand - Cilantro Pesto (Rahk Pahk Chee Gratiem Prik Thai)

Cilantro Pesto 

(Rahk Pahk Chee Gratiem Prik Thai)

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

-       1 ts whole white or black peppercorns

-       2 tb Coarsely chopped fresh Cilantro roots or leaves

-       2 tb Coarsely chopped garlic

Directions

-       Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, crush or grind the peppercorns to a fine powder.

-       Combine the pepper, cilantro roots and garlic; work the three ingredients into a fairly smooth paste in the mortar or in a small blender or food processor.

-       If you use a blender or food processor, you may need to add a little vegetable oil or water to ease the grinding.

-       Make about 1/4 cup.

-       For an industrial strength batch use 1 tb peppercorns, 1/2 cup cilantro roots and 1/2 cup garlic.

-       To store the pesto for later use, put in a glass jar, pour a little oil onto the surface to cover it and seal tightly. It will keep nicely for about 1 week in the refrigerator.