Creamy Cilantro Sauce

Ingredients

• 80 g fresh cilantro bunch
• 200 ml unsweetened coconut cream
• 25 g fresh Thai green chilies
• 4 cloves fresh garlic
• 45 ml fresh lime juice
• 30 ml Thai fish sauce
• 20 g palm sugar
• 1 pinch fine salt

Method

1. Rinse the cilantro in cold water, then dry it very thoroughly. Keep the leaves and tender stems, removing only the thick, fibrous bases. The cilantro should be dry to the touch so the sauce stays dense rather than watery.
2. Trim the stems from the Thai green chilies. For a truly traditional, vibrant sauce, keep some of the seeds; for more controlled heat, remove some without rinsing them, to preserve their aroma.
3. Peel the garlic and lightly crush it with the flat side of a knife. This helps the blender break it down cleanly without leaving overly harsh raw pieces.
4. Put the cilantro, chilies, garlic, palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice in a blender jar. Pulse until you have a coarse, moist, intensely fragrant green paste.
5. Add the well-chilled coconut cream. Blend again, this time continuously, until the sauce is smooth, thick, and pale green, with tiny visible flecks of cilantro. It should coat a spoon without running like a vinaigrette.
6. Taste and adjust with salt only if the fish sauce is not enough. The intended flavor is first herbal, salty, tangy, and spicy, then creamy on the finish; the coconut should not dominate.
7. Let rest in the refrigerator before serving. The sauce will thicken slightly and the garlic will meld better into the cilantro; it is ready when the aroma is fresh and piquant, without any separate harshness.
8. Serve chilled or cool, in small amounts, with grilled fish, roast chicken, shrimp, white rice, a Thai omelet, or crisp vegetables.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

131.6 kcal

Protein

2.42 g

Carbohydrate

9.4 g

Fat

9.33 g

Fibre

1.06 g

Calcium

109.35 mg

Iron

2.56 mg

Magnesium

52.9 mg