An executive chef at a fine-dining Italian restaurant in Hong Kong taught me his secrets to making Perfect Pesto using fresh basil grown on the roof of my flat in a rural part of town. This Master Class in Pesto Making includes a step-by-step recipe , with photos and a short video to walk you through each step of the process.
In This Post
Black Thumb?
It’s always been my dream to have an herb garden, but I’ve never had much luck growing the small number of herb plants on sale at supermarkets in Hong Kong.
You’ve heard of green thumbs. Do I have a black thumb?
First of all, the herbs for sale at supermarkets in Hong Kong are expensive. Secondly, they usually die within a couple of weeks.
Trips to the Flower Mart in Mongkok were no help. There simply isn’t much in the way of herb plants or seeds on sale there.
But all that changed when I attended a Christmas Flower Market at a public park in the New Territories, where a stand was selling basil plants, rosemary plants, lemon mint plants, and a few other items.
Brutal Winter!
Owing to the reasonable price, I bought three basil plants for HK$25 – roughly US$3 (or US$1 apiece)!
The basil plants hardly survived a very brutal winter – the coldest winter  in more than a century. Then the the basil plants suffered an infestation.
Based on advice I read somewhere, I washed the plants with a mixture of water and dishwashing detergent.
Yes, believe me, it really works! No harsh chemicals are needed – just simple soap and water.
Then I trimmed the branches back very severely before leaving on a four-week trip. I had someone water the plants for me twice a week while I was gone.
Would the plants survive my one-month absence?
I was prepared for the worst.
Roof Garden
Upon my return four weeks later, I braced myself before walking up to my roof.
But much to my surprise, my basil plants had not only survived, they were flourishing! The tiny little plants I had transplanted half a year earlier had grown into luxuriant bushes!
A year later, and I’ve got basil leaves coming out of my ears!
“What the heck am I going to do with so many basil leaves?” I posted on Facebook.
Among the many suggestions I got was, “Make pesto!”
Pesto Recipe
I googled “pesto recipe” and came up with several recipes, and they were all pretty similar.
The pesto recipes all basically called for the same basic ingredients:Â basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, pine nuts, and salt.
“I can handle that,” I thought.
First I went to the supermarket to purchase the pine nuts and the cheese.
Then I went to the roof, pruning my basil plants two leaves below the blossoms as an Australian friend had suggested.
The yield? Roughly four cups of packed basil leaves.
I washed and dried them and put all of the ingredients into a blender. It was a bit difficult at first. I had to keep stopping the blender to push the leaves back down into the blades.
The minute I re-started the blender, the mixture would simply fly back up, and I’d have to stop the blender again.
But eventually I ended up with about two cups of pesto.
To be honest, I wasn’t overly impressed with the taste. It reminded me of the way a lawn smells just after it has been mowed. It wasn’t as good as the commercial pesto I had been buying at the supermarket!
Executive Chef to the Rescue!
“Time to call in the professionals,” I thought.
I messaged a friend at the Epicurean Group, which operates numerous food and beverage outlets across Hong Kong, asking if there were any Italian chefs that could teach me how to make pesto.
She arranged a Master Class in Pesto Making with Brian Moore, Group Executive Chef for the Epicurean Group, a hospitality, management, and consultancy services provider.
Blogger’s Note: since this post was published , Osteria Felice has closed, and Brian has moved. He is now an Executive Chef for Marriott Hotels in Phuket.
My contact at Epicurean Group arranged an appointment for a few days later. The day of the class, I went back to my roof. There were lots more flowers blooming, which I discarded, and I picked lots more leaves.
The class took place in the kitchen of Osteria Felice, an Italian eatery in Hutchinson House in Central on Hong Kong Island.
How to Make Perfect Pesto
Pesto Recipe Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup English spinach
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ÂĽ cup Vegetable Oil
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Sea salt to taste
- Fresh black pepper to taste
- Boiling water to stabilize
Pesto Recipe  – Method
- Pick and wash basil and spinach leaves and spin dry; put aside;
- Heat olive oil and pine nuts in a saucepan, gently simmer until pine nuts are golden brown; let cool to infuse the oil with a nutty flavour;
- Blanch HALF of basil and spinach leaves in boiling water (roughly 30 second);
- Put blanched basil into a blender or food processor and blend (you might have to stop the blender several time and push the leaves into the blades);
- Add the raw basil, cheese, salt, and pepper and continue blending while adding the pine nuts and olive oil you cooked the pine nuts in;
- Add the vegetable oil and continue to blend, stopping occasionally to clean the sides of the blender;
- Add some boiling water to the mixture to help it stabilize;
- Taste and adjust seasoning in needed;
- Pass through a fine sieve;
- Place into an airtight container and refrigerate. It is ready to serve.
What You’ll Need
| Colander or Salad Spinner | For washing and drying basil and spinach leaves |
| Saucepan | To toast pine nuts and infuse olive oil |
| Slotted Spoon or Tongs | For blanching and retrieving basil/spinach from boiling water |
| Blender or Food Processor | To blend ingredients into pesto |
| Spatula | To scrape down sides of blender during blending |
| Fine Mesh Sieve | To strain and smooth the pesto |
| Airtight Container | For storing the finished pesto in the fridge |
| Digital Instant-Read Thermometer | To monitor oil temperature and avoid overheating (preserves basil’s green color) |
| Kitchen Scale | For precise ingredient measurements, especially cheese and nuts |
| Measuring Cups & Spoons | For oils, salt, and pepper |
| Ladle or Measuring Jug | To add boiling water gradually and safely |
| Microplane Grater | For finely grating cheese if not pre-grated |
Teaching me how to make perfect pesto wasn’t enough. Chef Bruce also wanted to share with me a recipe so that I would know what to do with it.
Pesto Recipe – Final Thoughts
This isn’t just pesto—it’s precision in sauce form. Chef Bruce’s recipe proves that timing and technique matter as much as ingredients. From the gentle browning of pine nuts to the half-blanching of herbs, each step is choreographed to protect flavor and texture. Even the stabilizing splash of boiling water speaks to the finesse behind this deceptively simple dish.
It’s not about mastering complexity—it’s about mastering care.
Now that you’ve learned Chef Bruce’s secrets, you’re equipped to elevate your pesto game and, maybe, shift your perspective on what “simple” cooking can really achieve. Let the spoon be your brush—and this pesto, your masterpiece.
Join the Conversation
Tried Chef Bruce’s pesto recipe? Let us know how it turned out! 👇 Drop a comment below with your tips, tweaks, or triumphs. 📢 Share this post with fellow food lovers who appreciate the magic of fresh herbs and chef-level technique. 🍽️ Ready to put that pesto to work? Try it with pillowy —a comforting dish that’s quick, satisfying, and lets your pesto shine.