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Miang kham (leaf-wrapped bites)
Leaf-wrapped snack bites
เมี่ยงคำ · betel leaves with coconut, peanuts, lime, ginger and palm-sugar sauce
'One bite wrapped' is how the name translates, and central Thai families set out trays of the little piles of ingredients for guests to fold for themselves, in leaves of wild betel (cha plu). Each mouthful bursts with sour lime peel, hot chilli, sharp ginger and shallot, toasty coconut and peanut, all held by a dark, sticky palm-sugar sauce. The usual dried shrimp and shrimp paste are left out; tamari keeps the salty depth, so it stays vegan. Chef's tip: dicing the lime too big is a common mistake; cut it into 5 mm pieces, skin and all, so it adds tang without bitterness.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconuttoasted
- 2 tbsp roasted peanutsground
- 1 tbsp galangalfinely chopped
- 1 stalk lemongrasstender part finely chopped
- 3 ½ oz palm sugar
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tbsp tamari
- ¼ cup water
For the bites
- 30 betel leaveswild pepper leaves (cha plu); or small lettuce or spinach leaves
- 2 ⅛ oz desiccated coconuttoasted golden in a dry pan
- 2 ⅛ oz roasted peanuts
- 1 limecut into 5 mm dice with the skin
- 1 oz fresh gingerpeeled and finely diced
- 4 shallotsfinely diced
- 4 bird's-eye chilliesthinly sliced
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Pound 1 tbsp galangal and 1 stalk lemongrass to a rough paste, then add 2 tbsp desiccated coconut and 2 tbsp roasted peanuts and pound briefly.
3 minStep 2: Put the paste in a small pan with 3 ½ oz palm sugar, 1 tbsp tamarind paste, 1 tbsp tamari and ¼ cup water. Simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring, until thick, dark and syrupy like runny honey, about 8 minutes. Cool; it thickens more.
8 minStep 3: Wash and dry 30 betel leaves. Arrange 2 ⅛ oz desiccated coconut, 2 ⅛ oz roasted peanuts, 1 lime, 1 oz fresh ginger, 4 shallots and 4 bird's-eye chillies in little piles around the leaves on a tray.
10 minStep 4: To eat, fold a leaf into a cone, drop in a little of each filling, add a small spoonful of sauce and eat in one bite.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 35 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does miang kham (leaf-wrapped bites) take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
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