Spicy Lemon Coconut Sauce

This sauce looks bland from here. I know. All that white. But its totally not. I've had a jar of it in the refrigerator for the past week, and it's one of those things that makes just about everything you put it on (or in) better. I go about making it in a mortar and pestle, but have done it in a food processor in the past when I'm short on time. We're talking about garlic and green chiles worked into a paste, then bulked out with lots of scallions and cilantro. Coconut milk is the base, and the creaminess is balanced out with a good amount of fresh lemon juice. This sauce looks bland from here. I know. All that white. But its totally not. I've had a jar of it in the refrigerator for the past week, and it's one of those things that makes just about everything you put it on (or in) better. I go about making it in a mortar and pestle, but have done it in a food processor in the past when I'm short on time. We're talking about garlic and green chiles worked into a paste, then bulked out with lots of scallions and cilantro. Coconut milk is the base, and the creaminess is balanced out with a good amount of fresh lemon juice.

Here's my list of how I've used it - this recipe makes a couple of cups, and it is quite rich, so a jar goes quite a distance. 1. Swirled into a simple pureed asparagus soup. 2. Small dollops on top of a frittata. 3. Whisked into scrambled eggs. 4. Inside a version of these spring rolls. 5. Thinned out with a bit of broth in a saucepan, I then sautéed a couple handfuls of broccoli in it, added tiny pieces of tofu, a couple big spoonfuls of cooked quinoa, and some toasted almonds. Dinner. Here's my list of how I've used it - this recipe makes a couple of cups, and it is quite rich, so a jar goes quite a distance. 1. Swirled into a simple pureed asparagus soup. 2. Small dollops on top of a frittata. 3. Whisked into scrambled eggs. 4. Inside a version of these spring rolls. 5. Thinned out with a bit of broth in a saucepan, I then sautéed a couple handfuls of broccoli in it, added tiny pieces of tofu, a couple big spoonfuls of cooked quinoa, and some toasted almonds. Dinner.

There's still half a jar left and thinned out, it makes a really nice base broth for any number of soups. So, next up, I think I'll use it instead of a more traditional curry broth, in a big pot with lots of fresh vegetables, maybe some noodles....

Use full-fat coconut milk here, it gives the sauce better consistency and mouth feel. You can thin it out to your liking from there depending on how you're going to use it. Like I said, it's rich, but a little goes a long way. :)

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 medium jalapeno (or serrano) chile, deseeded and chopped

½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt, plus more to taste

1 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 small bunch of scallions, thinly sliced (~8 scallions)

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

1 14-ounce can of coconut milk (full fat)

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste

Directions at 101cookbooks.com

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