Having had my delightful morning coffee and enjoying a sense of satisfaction from finally posting an update, I decided to head out to Warorot Market outside the gates of the old city. Warorot is in the heart of Chiang Mai’s China Town and it’s a huge, bustling market frequently visited by locals rather than tourists. It spans out by several blocks and is a mezzanine maze of fresh produce, food and snack stalls, clothing, kitchen goods, household supplies, super soaker water guns (in preparation for Songkran) and pretty much everything else in between. Sound a little frantic? Well, as with any good Thai market, it is.
[gallery column =3 include=259,260,263]Luckily for me, I’m fairly familiar with it’s crazy layout (having spent hours and hours of wandering, transfixed by the colors and chaos), I’m even a regular at a particular Vegetarian food stall that serves quite possibly the best vegetarian dishes I’ve ever tasted. No, I’m obviously NOT vegetarian but I’m a big fan of veggies and healthy foods, I love trying out vegetarian cuisine to see how it compares with its meaty counterparts and it usually produces delicious results! That being said, I made my way over to say hello to my veggie vendors when something caught the corner of my eye; Miang Kam!
Two types of Miang. The chaplu leaves are soaked and slightly fermented on the left, this one is usually served with fried garlic and bird-eye chilies. The Miang on the right is the traditional style.
Miang Kam is probably one of my absolute favorite healthy Thai snacks, one that most westerners or tourist have never even heard of because it’s not typically something that is sold at foreigner focused markets. What exactly is it? As the title suggests, a tasty parcel of love. Yes, LOVE, because it is that delicious. It’s a bite-sized snack that packs a powerful flavor punch, one that is entirely balanced, refreshing and palette cleansing. Large, green chaplu leaves (thought to have medicinal properties) are used to envelop the following ingredients: shredded coconut that has been roasted, a tiny cube of ginger, roasted peanuts, tiny dried shrimp, sliced shallots, sliced chilies, a small piece of lime with the skin (the lime zest is key) and a sweet and tangy sauce made using palm sugar and fish sauce.
The combination is absolutely divine and entirely addictive. The vendors dexterously wrap
Miang Kam DIY
everything up into small, neatly separate bundles that are skewered with bamboo toothpicks and sold for 10 THB. If you’re a “do-it-yourself” type of individual, you can easily find packages of Miang Kam ingredients being sold together for about 25-35 THB a bag. I’ve taken a crack at it, and although I didn’t masterfully produce stunning results (let’s be honest, it looked like a 6 year old had a go) it still tasted incredible. So, if you find yourself at a local market in Thailand, keep your eyes peeled for these tasty morsels.
Street Eats & Cramped Seats 
OMG, I think I had one of these, wait is it like the ones I had in Chang Mai shaped in the triangle forms?
That’s the one!
Oh man, I miss that place so much! Keep posting!!