Miang Kham

Miang kam is a tasty snack often sold as street food. It involves wrapping little tidbits of several items in a leaf, along with a sweet-and-salty sauce. Chewing all the myriad ingredients together gives taste receptacles on the tongue and mouth a thrilling experience from the rich, roasted flavors of coconut and peanut, to the tanginess of lime with zest and the pungent bursts of diced ginger and chillies. It makes a great party food.

Ingredients: Filling

• 3/4 cup grated coconut, roasted in a low-heat oven until lightly brown 
• 2 small limes, unpeeled (try to get limes with thin skin), cut into small cubes 
• 6 tablespoons shallots, peeled and cut into small cubes 
• 6 tablespoons roasted peanuts 
• 6 tablespoons small dried shrimps 
• 4-5 fresh hot chili peppers, cut into slivers 
• 4 oz fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small cubes 

Ingredients: Sauce

• 1 tablespoon shrimp paste - gupi, roasted until fragrant 
• 2 oz fresh galanga, cut into slivers and roasted until fragrant (see note below) 
• 1/4 cup grated coconut, roasted in a low-heat oven until lightly brown 
• 4 oz small dried shrimps 
• 2 oz shallots, peeled and coarsely cut 
• 1.5 teaspoons fresh ginger, sliced 
• 8 oz palm sugar (broken into small chunks) 
• 2 tablespoons table sugarsalt for seasoning 

How to make Sauce:

• In a mortar and pestle, pound together the shallots and galanga until fine. 
• Add roasted shrimp paste, ginger, coconut and dried shrimp, and continue pounding until smooth. 
• Remove the mixture and place in a pot with 1.5 cups water. 
• Bring to a boil over medium heat 
• add palm sugar and table sugar, then reduce heat and simmer, wait until reduced to 1 cup or a bit less. 
• Taste, and adjust by adding a bit of salt. 
• Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. 

Wrapping Leaves:

The choice of what leaves to use is up to you. Some use lettuce or spinach leaves due to ready availability. These leaves are also known in English as Piper Sarmentosum or Betel Leaves. The leaves are known in Thai as "Bai Cha-phloo "

Serving:

• Spoon the roasted coconut into a serving plate.
• In separate small bowls, arrange each filling ingredient listed above.
• With a fresh wrapping leaf in hand, fold it once across the bottom then sideways to form a pocket.
• Place about 1 teaspoon roasted coconut in the leaf together with a small amount of each filling to create a bite-sized quantity.
• Spoon the sauce on top
• Pop into your mouth and enjoy!