Miang kham ( th, เมี่ยงคำ, , ) is a traditional

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

n snack from

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

( lo, ໝ້ຽງຄຳ ). It was introduced to the Siamese court of

King Rama V Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

by Princess Dara Rasmi. In

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

it is called Sirih Kaduk. The name ''miang kham'' translates to 'one bite wrap', from ''miang'' ('food wrapped in leaves') and ''kham'' ('a bite'). Bai chaplu

Ingredients

Miang kham mostly consists of raw fresh ''

Piper sarmentosum ''Piper sarmentosum'' is a plant in the family Piperaceae used in many Southeast Asian cuisines. The leaves are often confused with betel, but they lack the intense taste of the betel leaves and are significantly smaller. ''Piper lolot'' (lolot ...

'' ( th, ชะพลู, ) or ''

Erythrina fusca ''Erythrina fusca'' is a species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is known by many common names, including purple coraltree, gallito, bois immortelle, bucayo, and the more ambiguous "bucare" and "coral bean". ''E. fusca'' ...

'' ( th, ทองหลาง, ) leaves that are filled with roasted

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

shavings and the following main ingredients chopped or cut into small pieces: *

Shallot The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with ''Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the d ...

s *Fresh red or green bird's eye

chili pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...

s *

Ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...

Garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

Lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

''(Citrus aurantifolia)'', including the peel * Roasted

Coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

*Chopped unsalted peanuts or

cashew nuts The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus ''Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cult ...

*Small dried

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

Background information

Miang kham is a snack food that originated in the northern part of Thailand, originally using pickled tea leaves (called ''miang'' in the

northern Thai language Kam Mueang ( nod, , กำเมือง) or Northern Thai language ( th, ภาษาไทยถิ่นเหนือ) is the language of the Northern Thai people of Lanna, Thailand. It is a Southwestern Tai language that is closely relat ...

). The dish is mentioned in ''Epic of the Verse of foods'', a book written by the King

Rama II Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( th, พระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 24 February 1767 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( th, ฉิม), also styled as Rama II, was the second monarch of Siam under the Chakri ...

. In Thailand, Miang kham is usually eaten with family and friends. It is also popular in the Central Region of Thailand. This dish is mostly eaten during the raining season for it is then that ''cha phlu'' leaves are abundantly available, as it grows new leaves and shoots. Before wrapping the filled leaves are topped with

palm syrup Miel de palma (lit. palm honey, also palm syrup) is an edible sweet syrup produced from the sap of a number of palms. It is produced in the Canary Islands and coastal regions of South America. Species In the Canary Islands, palm syrup (''miel de ...

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

syrup which often has been cooked with

lemongrass ''Cymbopogon'', also known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, oily heads, citronella grass or fever grass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family. Some ...

galangal Galangal () is a common name for several tropical rhizomatous spices. Differentiation The word ''galangal'', or its variant ''galanga'' or archaically ''galingale'', can refer in common usage to the aromatic rhizome of any of four plant spec ...

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...

and

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, P ...

Variants

* In

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

, the capital of Laos, miang is often folded in cooked cabbage leaves (''kaalampii'') or

lettuce Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, ...

. Alternately, other leaves, such as

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...

, can be used. A variation called ''miang pla'' includes pieces of deep-fried fish in addition to the standard ingredients. * In Thai royal cuisine in the central part of Thailand, have an alternate of wrap that adept the dish to represent of beautiful and social status e.g. Miang Kreep Bua or Miang Kham Bua Lhuang Miang Kham Bua Lhuang (Thai:เมี่ยงคำบัวหลวง) is a snack dish originated in Thai royal cuisine in the central part of Thailand. Miang Kham Bua Lhuang (Eng: Lotus petals wrapped bite-size appetizer) is usually eaten with family and friends. This dish is mostly eaten as appetizer or snack during the meals. The name "Miang Kham" means "one bite-size wrap". Form Miang (snack wrapped in piper sarmentosum leaves) and Kham (one bite) in Thailand (Miang Kham, 2018.). Normally, this dish can have many types of wrap such as Piper sarmentosum (Thai:ใบชะพลู) and pickled tea leaves (Thai:ใบเมี่ยง)which are originated in the north of Thailand. ;Ingredients When talking about "lotus" most people might think of lotus as offering to monks and Buddha. Actually, lotus petals can be eaten with many nutritional benefits e.g. high fiber for detoxifying and nourishing health. Also it can be cooked in good side dishes such as Ingredients of Miang Kham Bua Lhuang (Miang Kham Bua Lhuang, 2012), with other ingredient e.g. shallots, chili peppers, gingers, garlic, limes, coconut sugar. (Miang Kham Bua Lhuang Thai traditional snack food for good health, 2012).

References

External links

{{Lao cuisine Thai cuisine Snack foods Lao cuisine Vegetable dishes of Thailand