Miang kham (snack in leaves)
Today a traditional Southeast Asian snack from Thailand and Laos: Miang kham (or mieng kham, miang kam, miang kum) Thai: เมี่ยง คำ. In Malaysia the snack is called Sirih Kaduk. The name “miang kham” can be translated to “one bite wrap”. Miang = food wrapped in leaves and kham = a snack.
Miang kham is a snack that originated in the north of Thailand, the earlier version was with pickled tea leaves (miang). The snack is described in a Siamese food book written by King Rama II, but became popular when it was introduced to the Siamese court of King Rama V by Princess Dara Rasmi.
The leaves of the Chaphlu plant are used for this snack. Miang Kham mainly consists of raw fresh Piper sarmentosum or Erythrina fusca (Thonglang) the leaves are filled with toasted coconut and the following main ingredients. Chop or cut them into small pieces:
- shallots
- Fresh red or green chili peppers
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Lime, including the zest
- Toasted coconut
- Chopped unsalted peanuts or cashews
- Small dried shrimp
In Thailand, Miang kham is usually eaten with family and friends. The snack is also popular in the central region of Thailand. This dish is mainly eaten during the rainy season when cha phlu leaves are available in abundance as the plant grows and has plenty of leaves.
Before wrapping, the stuffed leaves are coated with palm syrup or sugar cane syrup that is often cooked with lemongrass, galangal, ginger and fish sauce.
It is also popular because Thai see it as a healthy snack.
A delicious snack
In Dutch it is betel leaf, loose leaves can be found with some searching at a limited number of Asian shops. The whole plant is considerably easier to find.
But during a cooking class at chiang mai I was told that you can use spinach or even lettuce as an alternative.
This is indeed a delicious snack. One of my favorites. And I think, pretty healthy.
One of those Thai dishes that you only find out after a longer stay. Tourists will probably never get acquainted with this kind of food.