Miang kham is a leaf-wrapped hors d’oeuvre that, in addition to its ingredients, binds together the history of two kingdoms, tea culture and the life of one queen.
Pouches of Goodness Miang kham is made from wrapping various ingredients into wild piper leaves (chaphlu, ชะพลู, Piper sarmentosum, wild betel), composing a single bite parcel.
Each leaf-wrapped parcel is a kaleidoscope of flavors and richness, textures, aromas and sensations. Fresh green-earthy-chlorophyll-herby-tobacco-peppery wild betel leaves enfold bursts of flavor from nutty roasted peanuts and crispy roasted coconut matches, the umami of savory dry shrimp, pungent-sweet diced shallots, small ginger cubes with a warm bite, sour and bitter unpeeled lime cubes, citrusy perfumed diced bitter orange (som za), naughty whole fresh tiny bird’s eye chilies, and small slices of the sharp and sour dtaling bpling (Averrhoa bilimbi, a relative of the carambola/starfuit). All of which is blended with a thick paste of sweet-sour and salty palm sugar and tamarind sauce.
The miang kham takes every taste bud on a fascinating pleasure trip through sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness, and umami, piquancy, sharpness and spiciness, with an array of textures that slowly subside as the journey ends, leading to a familiar post orgasmic expression, a smile and the desire for more.
This desire for more is most likely what underlay ML Neuuang Ninrat’s (หม่อมหลวงเนื่อง นิลรัตน์) version of the leaf rolls she calls miang yaak, (“desired for” miang, เมี่ยงอยาก). In a memoir describing her life in the royal courts of Kings Rama V and VI, ML Ninrat utilizes pork crackling, palm sugar, fermented shrimp paste and other common ingredients found in every traditional Thai kitchen to compose the ultimate bite.
Even HM King Rama VI (1880-1925), renowned as both an accomplished writer of numerous poems, songs and plays and a translator of many foreign works into Thai, noted in his literary work:
“miang kham makes me hungry, and so do miang sa maaw and miang bplaa thuu” (sa maaw: sour fruits of the myrobalan wood tree, bplaa thuu: mackerel)
If you have yet to taste miang kham, we promise that you will never forget your first bite. If you are already familiar with it, we’d bet that you can remember your first time.
Pouches of Energy The habit of chewing on leaf parcels is still a common practice along the winding Horse Road trade routes, which carry dry and fermented tea leaves from Yunnan in southwest China, crossing Laos and Burma on their way to the west.
Tea leaves are steamed and then left to ferment in large baskets. They are rolled into small balls, and put into the mouth; tucked between the cheek and the tongue, these pouches of energy are sucked and chewed, delivering doses of caffeine and liveliness into one’s bloodstream.
It is not uncommon to see rolls where dry shallots, chilies, peanuts and lime are added, perhaps to offset the rough, unripe bitterness.
In Burma, fermented tea leaves have gained the status of a national dish, lahpet, considered a gesture of hospitality and ancient symbolic offering of peace.
Queen Dara Rasamee (เจ้าดารารัศมี พระราชชายา) Harmony and close relationships between ancient kingdoms were often generated via marriages among royal families. Such was the arranged marriage between the Northern princess and the King of Siam, King Rama V, seven years before Lanna was fully annexed into Siam.
Dara Rasamee unwinding her hair before the full-length mirror. c1902.
Queen Dara Rasamee arrived with her father, King Inthawichayanon of Chiang Mai, to the Siamese court in 1886. Her Northern manners and long hair were unfamiliar to the other queen consorts.
She was appointed by King Rama V to oversee the Court’s internal affairs, and through her direction, the culture of eating miang grew popular among the royal circles. The recipe for miang was subsequently adapted and improved, and published in the old cookbooks of Thai cuisine.
Miang kham was officially mentioned in the literary work of King Rama VI, which indicates that it was one of the royal snacks served in the palace at the time; and very likely unknown before the arrival of Queen Dara Rasamee. A new term was used for the snack: “bite-size snack” or miang kham.
Cook it yourself One of the reasons for the dish’s popularity these days is that its ingredients are readily available.
There are two important stages in the preparation of the dish: cutting and roasting the coconuts, and making the sauce.
So, get your family and friends together, because making miang kham is a fantastically fun activity. Relaxing, perfect for the summer time, it brings every member of the family closer in a delightfully delicious pastime.
Cooking tips:
Try eating miang kham with young thaawng laang leaves (Erythrina orientalis; ใบทองหลางอ่อน)
For the roasted coconut, select a semi-mature coconut that is not too tough and still easy to slice. Select a coconut with a golden-brown shell.
Miang kham Recipe
Hanuman and Chef Thapakorn Lertviriyavit (Gorn)
Miang kham is made from wrapping various ingredients into wild piper leaves (chaphlu, ชะพลู, Piper sarmentosum, wild betel), composing a single bite parcel. The miang kham takes every taste bud on a fascinating pleasure trip through sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness, and umami, piquancy, sharpness and spiciness, with an array of textures that slowly subside as the journey ends, leading to a familiar post orgasmic expression, a smile and the desire for more.
Breaking news: The oldest Thai cookbook, as well as history’s first-ever recorded recipe for Phanaeng curry, are revealed for the first time on Thaifoodmaster.com – A 126-year-old cookbook written by one of Siam’s most revered singers, Maawm Sohm Jeen (Raa Chaa Noopraphan) (หม่อมซ่มจีน, ราชานุประพันธุ์), has been rediscovered, offering a unique glimpse into the culinary repertoire of 19th-century Siam. In this chapter we examine the different forms of phanaeng curry from the 1800s to the present day, as we reconstruct the 19th-century version and craft step-by-step a traditional beef phanaeng curry.
Thai red curry is a broad term describing any curry that is red in color, although variations exist among the dish’s ingredients or their ratios. Today’s menu features a Thai red curry paste to which we add higher quantities of coriander root and kaffir lime zest; this creates a more aromatic character that will enhance the smokiness of the grilled pork meat and the mild sweetness of the unripe green bananas.
Khao mao bueang and khao Mao Mee (ข้าวเม่าหมี่) are the only two known savory dishes from antiquity made from pounded unripe rice grains (ข้าวเม่า; khao mao). While khao mao mee (ข้าวเม่าหมี่) is still a well-known and widely available dish, very few people remember khao mao bueang. Therefore, we are pleased to reintroduce into the Thai culinary repertoire the delicious khao mao bueang.
This recipe would probably change your perception about the term “salad”, maybe because its dressing has a multi layered, curry-like personality, rather than the common sour vinaigrette-like dressing, or maybe because it takes some good few hours to prepare, somewhat longer than simply opening a bag of hydroponic greens.
This salad is the fruit of the dedication of court ladies from aristocratic households, that for centuries perfected and elaborated on the art of cooking through detailed and calculated process, to create sophisticated dishes that are not only delicious but also very healthy and visually pleasing.
These ladies made a very large commitment for small things, and they attended all their time and efforts to make minor things better and getting the small things just right.
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Practical and kitchen-tested recipes with a mix of theory, history, psychology, and Siamese culture tidbits.
Access to Thaifoodmaster’s constantly growing library of prime professional classes, articles, recipes and videos on Siamese culinary topics, available nowhere else in English.
Gain access to NEW MONTHLY masterclasses as they become available.
1-1 support from Hanuman to help you achieve your professional Thai culinary goals
The opportunity to join a monthly live two-hour videoconference where I can answer your questions.
one year access for the price of 3 days in-person training.
You will get everything you need to:
When you design or build a new menu for an event or restaurant or even prepare for dinner with friends.
Finally !
Master your Thai cooking skills and expand your repertoire.