Ottawa·RECIPE

D is for Dinner: Miang wraps with prawn and pomelo

Jonathan Korecki, formerly of Sidedoor, is one of 14 chefs who'll take part in the restaurant takeover at Coconut Lagoon as the usual chef vies for top honours at the Canadian Culinary Championships. Korecki shared a recipe on CBC Radio's All In A Day.

Jonathan Korecki is one of 14 chefs taking party in a restaurant takeover at Coconut Lagoon

Chef Jon Korecki shares his recipe for Miang, a popular Thai street food. (Submitted)
What's a chef to do with his restaurant when he's off for a couple days to represent Ottawa in a nationwide cooking competition?
Coconut Lagoon owner and chef Joe Thottungal will represent Ottawa at Gold Medal Plates this weekend. (Greg Kolz/Gold Medal Plates Ottawa)

How about invite 14 of the city's top chefs to keep the place hopping? 

Jonathan Korecki, formerly of Sidedoor, is one of the chefs who'll take part in the restaurant takeover at Coconut Lagoon as chef Joe Thottungal vies for top honours this weekend at the Canadian Culinary Championships, more commonly known as the Gold Medal Plates.

Korecki shared his take on the Thai street food, Miang, on D is For Dinner, the weekly food segment on CBC Radio's All In A Day.
Jonathan Korecki, former executive chef at Sidedoor and Restaurant 18, will be one of 14 chefs taking over Coconut Lagoon this weekend. (Don Chow)

"Some (variations of Miang) contain just a few ingredients while others, like this one, include fruit and prawns," Korecki said. 

"This is great dinner party fare. Just have all the ingredients on the table and guests can make their own wraps as they like. Take extra care on cutting the lime, ginger and shallot — the lime should be a miniscule dice, the ginger a bit bigger and the shallot about five millimetre cubes."


Miang ingredients

Serves 4-6

  • 20-30 Betel (bai tong lang), or substitute with spinach, romaine or Boston lettuce leaves.
  • 1 pomelo or grapefruit or pineapple, cut into chunks.
  • 1 bunch cilantro leaves.
  • 1 tbsp. lime, diced fine.
  • 2 tbsp. ginger, peeled and diced.
  • 4 tbsp. shallots, diced.
  • 4 tbsp. coconut, grated and roasted.
  • 20 prawns, blanched, peeled and halved.

Sauce ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. ginger, diced.
  • 1 bird's eye chili.
  • 4 tbsp. coconut, grated and roasted.
  • 1 tbsp. roasted peanuts or cashew.
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce.
  • 3/4 cup palm sugar.
  • 1/4 cup water.
  • 3 tbsp. tamarind (no seeds).

Instructions

Sauce

1. Grind the first five ingredients together using a mortar and pestle, or a food processor.

2. Heat the palm sugar and water in a pot until dissolved. Add the ground up paste and tamarind, then simmer for a few minutes. Let cool before tasting — it should be sweet, rich, sour and salty.

Miang

Arrange all ingredients separately on a platter, with the sauce in the middle. Guests can choose ingredients to put onto onto betel leaves. Enjoy.