gourmet babble

• several bunches of cilantro, mainly stems (even the thick parts)
• 2 - 4 short stalks of celery, taken from close to the center of the bunch
• 1/2 stalk green onion (from the greener end)
• 3 green Thai chili peppers, stems removed
• 1/2 inch of galangal, sliced
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tsp dried cut lemongrass
• 2+ tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp fresh lime zest
• 2 cloves roasted garlic
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2+ tbsp unrefined sesame oil
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds (optional)

Throw all ingredients but the oil and seeds, one by one, into a food processor and pulse until shredded. Add the toasted sesame oil and 1 tbsp of sesame oil; pulse a few times to distribute and mix (you may need to scrape the sides down). Continue to add sesame oil 1 tbsp at a time, blending each time until consistency is a nice homogenized purée. Place mix in refrigerator and let sit 1 - 24 hours to let flavors mix.

Remove mixture from refrigerator and strain, reserving drained liquid. (Usage of the liquid TBA.) Place mixture on crackers (I used low sodium wasabi rice crackers) and garnish if desired with black sesame seeds.

Notes: This started as a "what do I have left over, ingredient-wise, that needs to be taken out" sort of mixture that grew to be one of my many garnishes for crackers (which is one of the staples of my diet right now) as the experiment moved on. This was quick to prepare, as I just threw ingredients one by one, whole or chopped in half, into the food processor and pulsed or held down the "chop" button until it seemed relatively pulverized. The galangal flavor is (to some) a bit overwhelming but is quite engaging. I have to believe this is probably a very healthy mix.

The liquid is much more subtle, although still with galangal's punch. There isn't much of it — it perhaps half-fills a 120 ml container, so 2 oz — so I'd like to do something refined and special with it. Still trying to figure out what that is ….