Traditional Thai bites featuring betel leaves, dried shrimp, toasted coconut, peanuts, and a sweet, salty, and spicy nam phrik sauce.
Ingredients
- 12 pieces betel leaves
- 30 g dried shrimp
- 50 g unsweetened shredded coconut
- 30 g unsalted roasted peanuts
- 1 piece fresh ginger
- 1 piece lime
- 2 pieces shallots
- 2 pieces fresh red chiles
- 20 g palm sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 pinch salt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spread the shredded coconut on a baking sheet and toast for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring halfway through, until lightly golden. Set aside.
- On the same baking sheet, toast the peanuts for 5 minutes (skip if already roasted). Let cool, then coarsely chop them with a knife.
- Prepare the nam phrik sauce: in a blender, combine the grated palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind paste, stemmed and chopped chiles, quartered shallots, peeled and chopped ginger, lime zest and juice, water, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the sweet-salty-sour balance. Set aside.
- Finely chop the dried shrimp.
- Wash and dry the betel leaves. If they are large, cut them into 8 to 10 cm squares.
- Arrange the leaves on a serving platter. On each leaf, place a pinch of chopped shrimp, some toasted coconut, chopped peanuts, a little lime zest (optional), and thin slices of shallot. Add about ½ teaspoon of nam phrik sauce.
- Serve immediately with extra lime wedges. Each guest folds their leaf into a bite-sized parcel and eats it whole.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 382.1 kcal
- Protein
- 11.88 g
- Carbohydrate
- 34.3 g
- Fat
- 24.52 g
- Fibre
- 9.4 g
- Calcium
- 50.76 mg
- Iron
- 1.47 mg
- Magnesium
- 52.43 mg