Smoked Trout Mieng Kam – Smoked Trout on Betel Leaves
Ingredients
| 125 g | smoked trout fillet, skin off and diced |
| 20 | betel leaves |
| 75 g | toasted coconut |
| 75 g | unsalted, roasted, crushed peanuts |
| 2 dsp | shallots, finely diced |
| 2 dsp | ginger, finely diced |
| 1 | lime, peeled and finely diced |
| 3 | bird's eye chillies, finely chopped |
| 4 dsp | fish sauce (for sauce) |
| 60 g | palm sugar |
| 1/2 dsp | Thai shrimp paste |
| 2 dsp | tamarind juice |
| 1 stalk | lemongrass, chopped |
| 1 dsp | galangal, chopped |
Instructions
To make the sauce: Mix all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Cook for a few minutes gently on a low heat, stirring continuously until the palm sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly. Once the sauce is ready, take it off the heat and pour it through a sieve to remove the lemongrass and galangal. Allow to cool.
To toast the coconut: Take a brown shelled coconut, crack it and using a small, sharp knife cut off the flesh and slice into fine pieces. Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven, 150 degrees Celsius / gas mark 2 until golden brown. You can use desiccated coconut but fresh coconut is much tastier.
To prepare the filling: Using a spoon, lightly mix together the prepared coconut, peanuts, shallots, ginger, lime, bird's eye chillies and smoked trout and a little of the sauce to bind the ingredients together.
To serve: Lay out the betel leaves and using a spoon, divide the mixture between the leaves and top with a little more sauce. They can be served flat on the dish, or they can be rolled so that the betel leaves holds the mixture — easier to eat!