Mieng Kum KURT KAHRS, THAI COOKING Miang Kham LONELY PLANET THAILAND Khreuang miang Naam miang (sauce): 4 tbs roast grated coconut Thai Cooking: 2 tbs diced shallots 2 tbs grated coconut 2 tbs diced ginger 0.5 tbs shrimp paste 2 tbs diced lime 1 tsp galangal 2 tbs roast peanuts 1 tsp shallot 1 tbs dried shrimp 2 tbs dried shrimp Lettuce: Use plain round lettuce, not cos or iceberg or other exotic lettuces. Wash and dry and 2 tbs chillis 1 tsp ginger remove any stems/white bits to leave bite size wrappers. For absolute authenticity, use tea tree leaves, never seen them anywhere. Possibly use vine leaves. 1 plain lettuce 3 tbs peanuts Coconut: fresh coconut used - roast 5 mins mk 4 - when it starts to brown, watch this like a 175g palm sugar hawk as it burns very quickly. 550 ml water Ginger: Supermarket ginger can be past its prime: look for Asian grocer with high turnaround Roast 1 to 4 for 5 mins, gas 5 to ensure real freshness. Should look plump and light, not wrinkly and brown. Grind finely with 5and 6, then add 7 and Shrimp: Add boiling water, leave for 10 mins to plump up, then wash thoroughly and dry on grind coarsely. Add sugar and boil, then kitchen paper. simmer until volume halved. Chillis: Ideally use whole genuine birds eye chillis: these are really tiny. Failing that use small red Thai chillis (supermarkets incorrectly call these birds eye) sliced at an angle. For safety, Lonely Planet: also use sliced large red or green chillis for milder burn. 0.5 cup minced ginger Shallots: Note that Thai shallots are much smaller than western ones, and very purple. Taste 1 tbs shrimp paste is slightly sweeter. 0.5 cup minced shallot Galangal: could substitute ginger, but always use galangal if you can, as the taste is very 0.25 cup (60 ml) water specific. Palm sugar to taste 1 tbs fish sauce Shrimp paste: This is a deep browney/purple gunge that comes in jars. Malaysian Blachan is more readily available in Asian shops, comes in paper wrapped blocks and stinks. Grind 1 to 3, add 4 to 6, cook until syrupy. Alternatively use crushed anchovies. Palm Sugar: Use brown sugar as substitute, slightly less than palm sugar quantities. Limes: Don't be tempted to use Kaffir Limes (if you are lucky enough to get hold of them) for authenticity: in fact Thais do not use the juice from Kaffir limes, only the peel..