I call these Coconut Shrimp Salad Rolls, but those are only two of the tasty ingredients wrapped up in thin rice paper. Frankly, Coconut Shrimp Ginger Carrot Lime Cilantro And More Rolls was just too long. I could have also called these Mieng Kum Rolls, but I think my title is more “user-friendly.”

But, in fact, that’s just about what these rolls are, mieng kum, all wrapped up in rice paper instead of a leaf. Mieng kum is a delicious Thai dish that packs nearly every flavor in one punch. These wonderful, healthy salad rolls were inspired by that dish.

Coconut Shrimp Salad Rolls

Just wing it with the amounts of each ingredient. Balance the flavors to adjust to you liking. If you want more ginger, add more ginger. Spicier? Toss in a few more chilies.

Shrimp, cooked and cut into pieces
Toasted coconut
Grated carrot
Ginger, finely chopped
Lime, sliced into tiny pieces with the rind on
Cilantro, chopped
Shallots or red onion (adds nice color), finely diced
1-2 Thai chili peppers (or any spicy pepper will do), finely chopped
Rice paper sheets

Toss the ingredients in a bowl. Fill a deep, flat dish with about 1/2″ of water. Place one sheet of rice paper in the water until it softens, then gently remove the sheet and place on a paper towel. Pat off excess water. Like you’re making a burrito, place the mixture in row on the sheet, fold in the sides, and roll.

Sprinkle some crushed peanuts and whole cilantro leaves on top and serve with peanut dipping sauce.

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Categories:	Asian	3 Comments
Tags:	Asian • cilantro • coconut • Food • foodista • ginger • salad rolls • shrimp • spring rolls • Thai

Do you ever have a craving for something, but you just can’t seem to put your taste bud on it? Not sure if you want something salty, sweet, sour or spicy? Maybe you want it all! If so, then I have just the thing to satiate your desires: mieng kum.

Whenever I go to a Thai restaurant I look for mieng kum on the menu, usually listed as an appetizer. To people who have never had this delicious dish I describe it as “a taste explosion in your mouth.” It has about every flavor, thus awakening any part of your tongue that has been neglected. If your tongue could grab pom-poms, do back flips and sing a cheer, this would be the dish it would root for.

You take a leaf and put a little of the following in it:

ginger (fragrant and sweet with a kick of spiciness),
shallots (aromatic and spicy),
Thai chilies (to give you that fire heat),
dried shrimp (adding the perfect amount of salty-fishiness, but in a good way!),
peanuts (a salty, earthy taste to balance with the sweetness),
lime (citrus adds the perfect amount of sour),
toasted coconut (giving it that sweet, tropical flavor),
top it with a sweet and savory sauce,
fold it up and pop it in your mouth…

POW!!!!

The perfect dish to satisfy all of your taste buds.

Mieng Kum

Any edible leaf can be used. Usually it is served in betel leaves, beautiful shiny dark green leaves, but they can be difficult to find. Check your local Asian market. When we can’t find betel leaves we use large spinach leaves.

Filling:

5 tablespoons grated coconut, toasted
3 tablespoons finely diced shallots
3 tablespoons diced lime, with the rind on
3 tablespoons diced ginger
3 tablespoons small dried shrimp
3 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons diced Thai chilies

Sauce:

1 tablespoon shrimp paste
1/2 tablespoon sliced galangal
1/2 tablespoon sliced shallots
2 tablespoons grated coconut
3 tablespoons chopped unsalted peanuts
2 tablespoons chopped dried shrimp
1 teaspoon sliced ginger
1 cup chopped palm sugar
2 1/2 cups water

Roast the shrimp paste, galangal and shallots in a small skillet until fragrant. Set aside and let cool. Once cooled toss into a food processor with the coconut, peanuts, shrimp and ginger, and blend. Transfer mixture to a saucepan and add the sugar and water. Mix well and bring to a boil. Simmer until it is reduced to about 1 cup, then let it cool.

Place all the ingredients in little individual bowls or in separate piles on dinnerware. Take a leaf and place a bit of each ingredient in the center, top with the sauce, fold it up and pop it in your mouth!

Recipe courtesy of The Food of Thailand: Authentic Recipes from the Golden Kingdom.

Note: if the sauce is too ambitious for you, or you are unable to find some of the ingredients, simply make a sweet/savory sauce with what you have in your pantry. We’ve made concoctions with Major Grey’s chutney mixed with a bit of fish sauce and a dash of Sriracha. Use your culinary creativity!

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Categories:	Asian • Cooking tips • Thai	5 Comments
Tags:	appetizer • Food • foodista • mieng kum • snack • Thai

We definitely eat more fish than beef, but I was feeling unavoidable carnivorous so I thought I would make simple Thai-style skewers. I was also secretly craving the easy clean-up of BBQing!

The marinade for six long skewers is as follows:

2 stalks of lemongrass or about 3 T (use the lower green part only and slice thinly)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 inch long piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 T olive or vegetable oil
3 T fish sauce
1 T sugar

Your beef should be in thinly sliced strips: about 1/4 inch thick and 1 inch wide. Marinate the strips for about 20-30 minutes and soak your bamboo skewers in water during this time too. Thread the beef onto the skewers in a ribbon-like manner. Grill for a couple minutes on each side, brushing with the remaining marinade.

Sprinkle with crushed peanuts and serve with lime wedges. Easy and delicious! (And again, the clean-up is nice too!)

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Categories:	Meat & Poultry	2 Comments
Tags:	beef • lemongrass • skewers • Thai

One of the things I love about Thai food is the gentle balance of spicy, sweet and sour flavors. This is one of my favorite salads any time of the year. It’s easy to make and is so crisp and fresh with it’s mint, basil and spicy chili dressing.

Salad
Romaine lettuce, chopped in shreds
Julienned carrots
Green onions, thinly sliced
Chiffonade of mint and Thai basil
Rice vermicelli noodles (the amount is up to you)

Dressing
Use the below amounts as a starting place, as you may find that you want more or less of an ingredient. You want balance, however, not one particular flavor overpowering the others.

3 T fish sauce
3 T lime juice
2 tsp sugar (I’ve used Splenda and that works just fine)
1 small Thai chili pepper, seeds removed (unless you want it melt-your-lips-off hot)

Toss greens and noodles together, and either mix in the dressing or serve on the side.

Another tasty salad similar to this is Laab (sometimes spelled Larb, but pronounced “lob”). Add the above dressing to the following ingredients:

Meat or fish (such as ground beef, chicken, pork or shrimp)
Romaine lettuce, chopped in shreds
Equal amounts of mint and cilantro (I like a healthy amount of each)
Green onions,thinly sliced
Red onions, thinly sliced
Toss and sprinkle approx. 2 T rice powder on top

Here’s a nice step-by-step recipe for ground turkey laab from Jenny at Use Real Butter. Her photos are lovely too!

Recommended cookbooks:

The Food of Thailand: Authentic Recipes from the Golden Kingdom

Another book with the same title, but much larger, more in-depth and coffee table worthy.
The Food of Thailand

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Categories:	Meat & Poultry • Salads • Thai	1 Comment
Tags:	salad • Thai