This pasta is yummy, with a distinct peanut flavor, and the faint heat of the chillies. If you love peanuts, you’ll love this.
By Preethi Vemu
Peanut Hummus is something I thought up, very similar to the peanut chutney we Telugus pair with Idlis, our breakfast staple. So keeping the peanuts as a base, I worked around the other ingredients to make it non-South-Indian, yet keep it Indian. I roasted a handful of peanuts, and ground them to a thick paste with some garlic cloves and salt.
Chilli Pesto and Peanut Pasta
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1
Description
This pasta is yummy, with a distinct peanut flavor, and the faint heat of the chillies. If you love peanuts, you’ll love this.
Ingredients
- Peanut Hummus – 1/4 C [Preparation below]
- Red chilli paste – 1 Tbsp [Depending on how hot this is!]
- Mustard paste – 1 Tbsp
- Olive oil – 1 Tbsp
- Garlic cloves – 4-6, finely diced
- Dried Oregano – 1/2 Tsp
- Paneer (Cottage Cheese) – 1/4 C [Optional]
- Salt – To taste
- Pasta – 1 C [I used 4 whole wheat vermicelli nests]
Instructions
- Peanut Hummus – Roast a handful peanuts. Let it cool and remove the skin off the peanuts. Grind them with the garlic cloves in a mixer-grinder with some water. Add salt to taste, and refrigerate it.
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box.
- Heat oil in a pan, and sauté the garlic cloves. Sprinkle the dried oregano on this.
- Add the peanut hummus, mustard and red chilli pastes and sauté them all together.
- If this resembles a thick paste, add some boiling water to get this to a sauce-like consistency.
- Add salt to taste, and gently mix the cooked pasta to this.
- Sprinkle the crumbled cottage cheese on this, if using.
- Serve hot.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
