The other day I went to the Thai Buddhist temple here in town and had the pleasure of eating this amazing piece of art. The sweet Thai woman that introduced this to me said only a few words, "Eat this like Americans eat potato chips." I was told I had to put the whole leaf and its contents in my mouth and what happened next was amazing. The flavors or fresh lime, raw peanuts, toasted coconut slivers, minced ginger, dried baby shrimp, and a sweet chili sauce exploded like a grand firework show in my mouth. I loved it so much that I ran by the Asian market to see if I could get the ingredients to make it and was lucky enough to find them. The wild betel leaf used is from a vine that grows all over south Asia including India. It is subtle but delicately brings all the amazing flavors together. This was most definitely the highlight of my culinary experience lately. Who would have thought that this simple piece of art would bring the taste buds on a journey to the ends of the universe.
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