Pomegranate miang bites with ginger, chilli, lime, peanuts & toasted coconut

Today’s recipe is one from my menu at the moment and it’s been a hit with the customers. Miang, translating in Thai as, ‘one bite wrap’, with a sweet, salty, sour and spicy fresh heat is the perfect accompaniment to a dinner of curry and noodles. In the restaurant we like this dish to come out in the early stages as it gets your taste buds ready for some serious flavour. It’s a great one for at home as you can make a mix up in advance and then get diners to help themselves, easy to share and delicious. Be careful though, one of them always ends up with all the birds eye chilli in it and gives someone an unexpected chilli blasting.

This recipe makes enough for 4-5 people to snack on, if any is left just whack it in the fridge, it’ll keep for 2-3 days as long as it’s covered. You can find all of these ingredients in any good Asian supermarket , I prefer new loon moon in Chinatown for fresh goods as they have a large range of fresh goods in comparison to other shops (or pop into Farang and purchase of course).

Ingredients

For the Miang Sauce:

• 150ml tamarind water

• 500g palm sugar

• 150g fish sauce / seaweed sauce if you are vegetarian

• 100g toasted peanuts, semi-pounded in a pestle and mortar

• 100g toasted desiccated coconut

• 1 tablespoon dried shrimp, pounded to a floss in a pestle and mortar, or spice ground to powder (omit if making vegetarian)

• 2 green bird's eye chillies

• 1 teaspoon fermented shrimp paste 'Gapi'

For the Rest:

• 1cm cubed piece of ginger, peeled and diced

• 6 Thai shallots, peeled and diced

• 1/2 whole lime, diced with the skin on

• 2 tablespoons toasted coconut

• 3 tablespoons semi-pounded peanuts

• 2 red bird's eye chillies, thinly sliced

• A small handful of coriander leaves, washed

• 1 pomegranate, de-seeded and all pith removed

• 20 betel leaves (or substitute with baby gem leaves or spinach leaves), washed and dried

Method

1. Prepare the Miang Sauce:

   • In a pan, heat the palm sugar, fish/seaweed sauce, and Gapi paste (omit if vegetarian) over medium heat, stirring regularly to prevent sticking.

2. Pound the Dry Ingredients:

   • Using a pestle and mortar, pound the 2 green bird's eye chillies. Gradually add the rest of the dried ingredients, creating a dry mix with the coconut, peanut, dried shrimp, and chilli.

3. Combine and Heat:

   • Continue heating the palm sugar and fish sauce until the sugar melts and the sauce begins to bubble. Add the tamarind water and remove from heat temporarily. Avoid allowing it to caramelise as it will become too thick.

4. Mix and Whisk:

   • Add the pre-prepared dry mix to the sauce and whisk thoroughly, separating any clumps. Return to medium heat and stir for about 5 minutes until it gently bubbles again. Cool to room temperature.

5. Assemble the Miang:

   • Gently mix all the fresh ingredients into the sauce, excluding the betel leaves. Take care not to damage the ingredients. Place a spoonful of this mixture onto each betel leaf and arrange neatly on a plate.

6. Optional Garnishes:

   • For an extra touch, add crispy fried prawns or pomelo on top of each Miang. Garnish with fine julienne lime leaves and crispy shallots for that next-level experience.

And there you have it, a delightful Pomegranate Miang to impress your guests or simply to enjoy at home. I hope you relish this recipe as much as I do. Thank you for visiting my website, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Feel free to get in touch anytime—I'm always eager to chat about food!