Cilantro Pesto (Aliyyeh)
December 8, 2008 • Category: Condiments, Main Dish
The Italians have their pesto, the French their pistou and the Lebanese have the cilantro pesto commonly called aliyyeh. It is a simple mixture of fresh garlic, cilantro and olive oil, sauteed for mere seconds till the fragrance is released and the ingredients bond together into a manageable paste.
The idea is to barely cook it, then set it aside and swirl the mixture into your dish as a final step. This is the secret step that gives the dish an intoxicating kick of flavor. In addition, the alyyeh can be conveniently frozen for up to 6 months in small containers or plastic pouches and pulled out of the freezer at a moment’s notice. As a child growing up in Beirut I knew when the fragrance of alyyeh was in the air that we would be eating soon and my mouth would water…
INGREDIENTS. This is for a single dish and if you want to store extra, just multiply the quantities.
1 Bunch of cilantro, stems removed and leaves chopped (2 ounces)
8 cloves of garlic (the equivalent of one tablespoon mashed)
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
dash of salt
METHOD:
- Wash and dry cilantro (use a salad spinner for speed). Chop leaves and discard the stems.
- Peel and chop garlic and mash with a teaspoon of salt in a wooden pestle or with a mini-processor.
- Chop the cilantro leaves either in a mini-processor or by hand, preferably by hand.
- Heat the olive oil for 3 minutes then add the cilantro and garlic. Mix it in the skillet with a spoon until it forms a compact mixture and the fragrance rises up, about 2 minutes, no more.
- Set it aside and either use immediately or cool and freeze the cilantro pesto in small containers with a film of olive oil for added protection for up to 6 months.
TIP:
I strongly recommend multiplying the recipe to save time. Use a whole head of garlic and 4 bunches of cilantro and up to 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil to maximize your time in the kitchen; divide the remaining mixture into single servings and freeze.
If you like more garlic flavor, by all means bulk up the amount of mashed garlic in this condiment. It is a matter of taste.
NOTE:
This pesto is used to add flavor to stews, potatoes, soups, chicken, fish and any yogurt sauce, cooked or uncooked.
Comments
14 Comments • Comments Feed
Henia says:
Esalaams,
I just love pesto but this is interesting … cilantro huh?We here have a mixture called chermoula … is it similar? I will try this out .. sounds nice!
On September 25, 2009 at 7:36 am
Joumana says:
I am going to have to try chermoula. I have heard about it. This alyyeh is used a lot in Lebanese stews. You put a tablespoon or so at the last minute and it infuses the stew with a fabulous flavor that Lebanese folks are very fond of.
On September 25, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Sarah says:
interesting, sounds similar to taqliyya (guess its another spelling variation of the same thing), which is like your recipe or using dried coriander seeds like I read in
an Egyptian cookbook. It is used to add flavor to Mhlouyia. I have not tried it using fresh coriander (cilantro) but I can imagine how aromatic it is.
On December 11, 2009 at 11:44 am
Vanita says:
Add a little cayenne and turmeric to this and toss in
fried cubed potatoes;or fried cubed eggplant or fried cubed okra.
Mix well and cook covered for a couple of mins.
You can also use a mix of all 3 vegetables or can also use fried cauliflower.
On August 17, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Joumana says:
@Vanita: Sounds fantastic and actually we do have a dish for mezze called batata harra with that pesto, and some chili pepper, that is to do for! sounds great with cauliflower; there is a cauliflower stew made with that pesto but I like the idea of an appetizer better!
On August 17, 2012 at 3:11 pm
Omar says:
Do you ever use the stems for the pesto?
I have found cilantro stems to work well (unlike parsley).
On April 29, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Joumana says:
@Omar: I do! Although it was not done in our home but hey, why waste something perfectly good right?
On April 29, 2015 at 5:38 pm