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Mieng come all wrapped up.

Bangkok, Thailand – The first time I had mieng come I was a little perplexed.  Who wanted to eat dried shrimp, raw shallots and unpeeled lime bits wrapped in a leaf?  Of course, it only took one bite to decide that person was me.  Often self-serve, you can sprinkle roasted peanuts, lime bits, dried shrimp, shallots, roasted coconut, galangal and chilies in a betel, fold it up and then dip it in the sweet-spicy-salty mieng come sauce.  The sauce is typically made with a base of shrimp paste, grated coconut, chilies and peanuts.

Eaten together, it packs quite a punch. The nuttiness of the peanuts, sourness of the citrus and bitterness of the lime peel, along with the spice of galangal and chilies, roasted coconut flavor and the sweetness of the sauce all come through.  No bite is really the same, as the various ingredient balance changes package to package and flavor development depends on which bit is hitting your tongue when.

I found these mieng come in the Prahurat market, but you can also find them at Or Tor Kor  (the food market across from Chatuchak) and in other restaurants and markets around town.

Mieng come ingredients – peanuts, shallots, betel leaves and chopped lime (dried shrimp, roasted coconut, galangal, chilies and pomelo are often included as well)

Mieng come to-go packs – ready to eat on the left and ready to assemble on the right