Miang Kham

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The one-bite appetizer known as Miang Kham is a delightfully unique and delicious Thai dish. With many different ingredients wrapped together in a wild pepper leaf, it truly contains all of the flavors in one bite!

If there's one dish that embodies bold Thai flavors, Miang Kham would be it. This appetizer features spicy ginger and Thai chilis, sour lime, salty dried shrimp, aromatic shallots, and nutty toasted peanuts and coconut. These ingredients are placed on a slightly bitter, peppery leaf and drizzled with a sweet and savory sauce. Then the whole package is eaten in one bite, allowing for an explosion of Thai flavors in your mouth.

Miang Kham does exactly what an appetizer is meant to do -- stimulate every single one of your taste buds and make you want more!

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What is Miang Kham?
What does Miang Kham mean?
The Leaves
Fresh Ingredients
The Sauce
How to Make the Sauce
How to Serve Miang Kham
Miang Kham FAQs
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Recipe

What is Miang Kham?

Miang Kham is a Thai dish that's eaten either as an appetizer or as a snack between meals. Small cubes of various fresh and toasted ingredients are served alongside a sweet and savory sauce and a pile of fresh leaves. Each diner is meant to take a leaf, place the ingredients they'd like in it, and drizzle the sauce on top. Then the leaf is wrapped up and eaten in one bite, allowing all of the disparate flavors to be enjoyed at the same time. It is said to have originated in the North of Thailand, and can now be found all throughout the country.

What does Miang Kham mean?

In Thai, the word Miang is used to describe appetizer-like snacks which consist of various ingredients wrapped in leaves. There are many different types of Miang (such as Miang Pla made with fried fish). Kham means bite in Thai, presumably because this Miang is meant to be eaten in one bite.

The Leaves

Wild Pepper Leaves, Bai Cha Plu, Piper Sarmentosum

The leaves used for wrapping Miang Kham are wild pepper leaves (scientific name: Piper sarmentosum). In Thai, they are known as Bai Cha Plu (ชะพลู). They're also sometimes called Bai Miang, since they are commonly used for Miang Kham. In Vietnamese, these leaves are known as La Lot. In English, they can also be found labeled as wild betel leaves, but they should not be confused with betel leaves.

Wild pepper leaves are shiny, green, and heart shaped. They have a very distinct venation pattern, which helps to distinguish them from betel leaves. They are fairly thin and tender, and impart a subtle spicy and slightly bitter flavor to Miang Kham.

Unfortunately, wild pepper leaves can be challenging to find outside of Southeast Asia. Your best bet will be to look in stores that cater to the Southeast Asian population. Romaine lettuce or Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan) can be used in place of wild pepper leaves for Miang Kham, with the understanding that they really don't have the same flavor.

Fresh Ingredients

Fresh and Toasted Ingredients for Miang Kham

The ingredients that make up Miang Kham are meant to stimulate all of your taste buds, from spicy Thai chilis to sour pieces of lime. Here's a run down of all of the fresh and toasted ingredients that go into this appetizer:

Thai chili peppers: As Thai chili peppers are quite spicy, you'll want to slice them very finely. You can use gloves while doing this so that your hands don't burn. If your diners prefer less spice, they are welcome to make their Miang without any peppers.
Lime: In Thailand, small cubes of lime are cut with the skin on for a burst of fresh citrus flavor. If you can find a lime with very thin skin, feel free to do the same. If your lime has thicker skin, it's probably best to cut the rind off before slicing it into small pieces.
Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a nice bite of mild spice to the dish. Using the freshest ginger you can find, peel the skin off and cut into small cubes.
Shallots: Shallots add a nice aromatic earthiness to the dish. They should also be peeled and cut into small cubes.
Roasted peanuts: Freshly roasted peanuts impart a lovely nutty, toasted flavor to each bite of this appetizer. Follow the directions in the article linked for how to prepare freshly roasted peanuts by dry frying them in a pan.
Toasted coconut: Likewise, toasted coconut adds a wonderful toasted, nutty, tropical flavor. You can toast them in the same manner as the peanuts. Be sure to use unsweetened coconut flakes rather than the sweetened variety.
Dried shrimp: Dried shrimp add a salty, umami crunch. To bring out its flavor and make it a little crunchier, dry fry it in the same way you do for the peanuts and coconut.

The Sauce

The sauce for Miang Kham is a caramelized sweet and savory sauce. The base flavors of the sauce are shrimp paste and palm sugar, making it sweet and funky at the same time. Aromatic herbs including galangal, shallots, ginger, and lemongrass are pounded together, and roasted peanuts and toasted coconut flakes are also stirred in. Because the sauce incorporates some of the fresh ingredients, it helps to tie all of the disparate flavors together.

How to Make the Sauce

Roast the shrimp paste by placing it in a banana leaf and cooking at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

Step 1: Start by roasting the shrimp paste. Spread it in a thick layer onto the surface of a banana leaf. Fold the leaf into a package, and place it in an oven for approximately 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Foil can be used if banana leaves are not available.

Dry fry the sliced lemongrass, galangal, ginger, and shallots

Step 2: While the shrimp paste is roasting, cut the galangal, ginger, shallots, and lemongrass into small pieces. Roast these herbs by placing them in a pan over medium heat on the stove, and occasionally stirring until they are fully dried out and toasted.

Pound the toasted fresh herbs and toasted shrimp paste together until a smooth paste has formed

Step 3: Place the roasted herbs in a mortar and pestle and pound until a coarse paste is formed. Then add the roasted shrimp paste and continue to pound until the paste is smooth.

Cook the paste with palm sugar and fish sauce and top with toasted peanuts and toasted coconut flakes.

Step 4: In a small saucepan, heat the paste you have just prepared with fish sauce and palm sugar over medium heat. Continue to cook until a slightly sticky sauce is formed. Stir in the toasted peanuts and toasted coconut flakes.

How to Serve Miang Kham

Serve Miang Kham with each ingredient on a plate alongside the sauce and wild pepper leaves.

Miang Kham is often served on a large platter, with a bowl of sauce in the middle and the fresh ingredients and wild pepper leaves surrounding it. That way, you can choose a leaf, add a dollop of sauce, and then choose which ingredients you'd like to add. I'd suggest trying it with one of each ingredient first, then adjusting the amounts for your next wrap based on your taste preferences.

If you are serving Miang Kham to people who aren't familiar with Thai food, it's a good idea to warn them that Thai chilis are quite spicy! I accidentally failed to do so once. My friend added a few too many chili pieces and subsequently had smoke coming from her ears!

In Thailand, you can find Miang Kham already put together into little parcels. The wrapped leaf packages are sometimes threaded together on a skewer, perfect for eating on the go.

Miang Kham FAQs

What is Miang Kham in English?

The Thai word Miang is used to describe appetizer-like snacks which consist of various ingredients wrapped in leaves. The Thai word Kham means bite, presumably because this Miang is meant to be eaten in one bite.

Is Miang Kham healthy?

Miang Kham is composed of various fresh ingredients and a sweet and savory sauce wrapped in a wild pepper leaf. The sauce contains a good amount of palm sugar. Aside from the sugar content, I believe most people would consider miang kham to be a healthy appetizer.

What's the best way to eat Miang Kham?

To eat Miang Kham, choose a wild pepper leaf, add a dollop of sauce, and then choose which fresh ingredients you'd like to add. You can wrap the leaf into a little parcel and then pop the whole thing into your mouth.

In Thailand, you can find Miang Kham already put together into little parcels. The wrapped leaf packages are sometimes threaded together on a skewer, perfect for eating on the go.