Betel Leaf Bites (Miang Kham)

Wild betel leaves folded around toasted coconut, peanuts, lime, ginger and chilli, finished with a sticky tamarind sauce.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 45 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
✅
Serves
6 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 24 wild betel leaves (cha plu) from Thai or South-East Asian shops, or small baby spinach leaves
  • 1 lime, unpeeled, cut into 5mm cubes
  • 3cm fresh root ginger, peeled and finely diced
  • 4 shallots, finely diced
  • 2 bird's eye chillies, finely sliced
  • 40g unsweetened desiccated coconut
  • 50g unsalted roasted peanuts
  • 30g dried shrimp
  • 80g palm sugar, chopped
  • 100ml water
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste
  • 1 tbsp finely grated galangal

Method

  1. Toast the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden. Tip onto a plate to cool.

  2. In the same pan, toast the dried shrimp for 2 minutes until fragrant and crisp, then chop roughly. Toast the peanuts for 2 minutes until lightly coloured.

  3. Make the sauce by simmering the palm sugar, water, tamarind paste, fish sauce, shrimp paste and galangal in a small pan for 8 to 10 minutes, until syrupy. Stir in 1 tbsp of the toasted coconut and cool.

  4. Wash and dry the betel leaves and arrange on a large platter.

  5. Arrange the lime, ginger, shallots, chillies, coconut, peanuts and shrimp in small piles around the leaves.

  6. To eat, fold a leaf into a cone, add a pinch of each filling, spoon over a little sauce and eat in one bite.