Miang Pla

Making individual wraps.

All the parts of what goes in the wrap.

 There’s a thing in Thailand that I was introduced to the very first week I was here. A friend of mine called them “Healthy Wraps”. I had never heard of them nor had I ever seen them before. I know that “healthy wraps” was not the correct Thai name for them but what I did know was that they were absolutely amazing! Thinking that maybe they were just a Bangkok thing I was very surprised and extremely happy to find them in my local night market. “Healthy Wraps” or Miang pla (เมี่ยงปลา), as the Thai’s call it, are a mix of ingredients that you wrap into Thai kale. It’s all hands on and can get pretty messy. The typical Miang pla bag comes with: dried shrimp, ginger pieces, lime pieces, birds eye chilies, toasted coconut, peanuts, onions and a very sweet and very sticky chili and palm sugar sauce. You take all of these ingredients and put as much or as little of each in a kale leaf, wrap it up and pop it in you mouth! These little bundles are a burst of flavor on your taste buds. You can taste every different ingredient at a different time. Its almost like your mouth is on overload from all the different flavors that you are tasting.  This is one tasty treat that is so filling and so memorable every time I eat it. It has all the great flavors of Thailand mixed into one do it yourself pocket of love.  I’ve had these so many times that I told myself I have to wait and try new things before I can have them again! “Healthy Wraps” easily capture Thai food in one little bundle of greatness.