Food Cravings in the Middle of nowhere

Out here at The Ranch, there is little hope for good food. In the frozen food section of the grocery store one can buy spinach, peas, broccoli and cauliflower. In the produce department the discovery of Brussels sprouts causes a person to jump up and down with glee.

So to have a food craving that involves any fresh ingredient is dangerous. Especially in the middle of the night.

I want Miang Kam.

Miang Kam is a Thai street food that is an ideal finger food/snack for the burner of the midnight sauvignon blanc. A combination of dried shrimp, toasted coconut, a chutney like sauce, fresh Thai chili peppers, young ginger, small slices of lime and peanuts wrapped in a pepper leaf.

But who the hell can ever remember the name of the pepper leaf much less find it? Fresh Chiso leaves (used mostly in serving sashimi) can sometimes be found but more often than not one settles for large arugula or lettuce leaves.

All of the ingredients need to be chopped fine but not so fine that they are dusty or juicy. The faint of heart should go easy on the peppers. In fact the faint of heart should skip this dish.

The sauce, well, for a non traditionalist can be made from preserved apricot, fish sauce, soy sauce and a little white pepper.

Dang it. It’s enough to take a 3.5 hour drive back to Seattle.