Friday, October 25, 2013

Rosie Makes Miang Kham.



  I made this little amuse-bouche once before 
at Middle Hawthorne's request.
It merits repeating.

It's called miang kham and it's Thai street food.
It's a leaf-wrapped bundle of the tastes of Thailand-
spice, heat, salt, sweet, sour, tart-
all wrapped up in a lettuce leaf 
and served with a sweet and salty syrup.

 First, I'm making the syrup
which will be drizzled over the condiments nestled in the leaf.

For the syrup:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 TB Asian fish sauce
2 tsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 TB roasted salted peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Whisk water and sugar in a small saucepan.
Bring to boil, stirring occasionally,
until reduced by half.
Remove from heat and transfer to serving bowl.
 Stir in rest of ingredients.

 
 I mark a skewer with the beginning syrup level and ...
 ...  let it slowly simmer,
 stirring once in a while, until reduced by half.

 
 Syrup
Roasted salted nuts
Fish sauce
Minced ginger
Toasted coconut
 Mix all together.
Set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

 Condiments for the lettuce packets:
1/4 cup minced dried shrimp, available at Asian markets
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, toasted
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion and shallot
1/4 cup finely chopped and peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped serrano chilies
lime, cut into little triangles
Boston or butter lettuce leaves


 Assemble the miang kham.
 Add a little of each condiment in a lettuce leaf.
 Pour sauce over top.
 Make a little bundle and pop it into your bouche.
Your bouche will be amused.

Now, you know how I love to shoot pictures of my creations.
That's what I was all set to do.
I just hadn't anticipated
 the overwhelming presence of Middle Hawthorne.
Mr. Hawthorne and Good Neighbor Bobby
were sitting at the counter as well
and I was trying to clean up and shoot my "money shots"
and I couldn't even get close to the food.
I had absolutely NO cooperation.
Middle Hawthorne was like a one-man swarm of locusts.

 Good Neighbor Bobby felt sorry for me
and took these pictures.
Poor, pitiful Rosie.
$$$$ shot.

Gotta admit, though.
That miang kham is some kinda good.
I was able to eat one.

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