I absolutely love the betel leaf parcels with prawn (miang goong) which I’ve tried at various Thai restaurants in Sydney and have been looking forward to trying to make my own. I happened to spot fresh betel leaves in Marrickville the other day and grabbed a bunch with which to experiment – excitement central!!!
I didn’t actually have any prawns, so technically I made miang khum, as the ‘goong’ bit means prawn. First of all, I have to say thanks VERY much to Saucy Onion for this fantastic recipe – it was easy to follow and turned out exactly as I’d hoped, plus I’m currently sprouting the leftover stems so I can plant my own betel bush! Also thanks to Thai Food & Travel for so clearly explaining that these are actually made from a related plant and not leaves from the infamous ‘true’ betel plant.
Betel leaves
(from Arun Thai Restaurant, Sydney)
Sauce:
1 teaspoon shrimp paste (also known as belacan or trasi)
1 teaspoon finely chopped galangal
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon finely chopped root ginger
1 teaspoon finely blended dried shrimp
5 tablespoons shredded coconut
7 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons palm sugar
Parcels and filling:
a bunch of betel nut leaves, washed and dried
2 tablespoons dried shrimps
2 tablespoons diced root ginger
2 tablespoons diced lime (skin on)
2 tablespoons diced shallot
80g toasted, shredded coconut
2 red chillies sliced into rings
3 tablespoons raw unsalted peanuts (optional)
Directions:
- First toast all the coconut and the peanuts until lightly golden.
- Next, make the sauce. Toast the shrimp paste in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes, until the paste is dry. Add a little peanut or vegetable oil and fry paste, the galangal, shallot, ginger and stir for two minutes until aromatic.
- Add the dried shrimp, shredded coconut, palm sugar and fish sauce and stir over a low heat until the sauce thickens. The consistency should be quite sticky and taste both salty and sweet.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and cool.
- Next make the filling by combining all the ingredients except the peanuts (if using).
- Spoon a little onto each betel leaf, top with a small blob of sauce and a sprinkling of coarsely chopped peanuts.
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To eat, simply wrap around the filling and pop – whole – into your eagerly awaiting mouth for a most delicious, citrussy, zesty flavour explosion.
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