Miang Kham (Betel Leaf Wraps)
This is the kind of Thai snack you’ll make on repeat — betel leaves and toasted coconut, 30 minutes, big payoff.
✓ USDA-verified nutrition data
210 calories
7g protein
26g carbs
10g fat
4g fiber
Ingredients
- 16 Betel leaves
- 1/2 cup Toasted coconut
- 1/4 cup Roasted peanuts
- 1/4 cup Fresh ginger
- 1 Lime
- 3 Thai chilies
- 2 tbsp Dried shrimp
- 1/3 cup Palm sugar
- 2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 tbsp Galangal
Steps
- Simmer the palm sugar with 1/4 cup of water, the fish sauce, and the grated galangal until syrupy, about 5 minutes. This sauce should be thick enough to cling to the fillings. It is the glue that holds each bite together.
- Toast the shredded coconut in a dry skillet until golden and fragrant, then do the same with the peanuts. Toasting wakes up the oils and deepens everything.
- Arrange the betel leaves on a platter with small bowls of each filling: toasted coconut, peanuts, diced ginger, lime wedges, chilies, and dried shrimp.
- To eat, take a leaf, add a pinch of everything, drizzle with the warm sauce, fold it into a parcel, and eat it in one bite. One bite is the rule. Miang kham is engineered as a perfect single mouthful.
- The flavor arc is the whole show: first herbal and fresh, then nutty and sour, finishing with heat and that caramel-salty sauce. Serve as a starter and watch people go quiet.