Fragrantly seasoned grilled rolls of beef wrapped up in wild
betel leaf (lá lốt) are a favorite Vietnamese snack that’s great with cold beer
or white wine. When the rolls are cooking, the perfume of Piper sarmentosum is
mesmerizing and fills the room. Shiny on one side and matted on the other, the soft, pliable leaves don’t have
much character until heat is applied to them, at which point they release their
sweetly spicy, incense-like fragrance. (Many recipes suggest substitute grape leaves but what's the use? Those leaves are devoid of the fragrance that these have and that's the beauty of this special ingredient!)
Lá lốt (“lah loht”) is sold at many Vietnamese and Chinese
markets on Styrofoam trays. Look for ones with healthy green color on the
leaves. The heart-shaped leaves are shiny on one side and matted on the other.
A few holes here and there are okay. Once home, snip off the bottom ½ inch of stem and put the leaves in a small
container partially filled with water. Loosely cover with a plastic bag and
refrigerate for up to four days. I’ve found that this is the best way to keep
them fresh and perky.
My husband, Rory, loves beef in lá lốt and my mom taught him
a nifty, old-fashioned trick for rolling them up. Instead of skewering the
rolls to hold their shape and to grill them, she dispenses with the skewers and
uses the leaf stem to secure the roll in place. She then broils them in the
oven. No burnt up bamboo skewers to deal with. Rory is now our family’s master
of making these rolls. "Even a white guy can do this," he says.
The rolls are tasty on their own, but many people like to
dip in a little nước chấm sauce – the ubiquitous Vietnamese dipping sauce. I
often serve these with a tangy pickle of daikon and carrot for textural and
flavor contrast.
There are two seasoning options here. You can play with it by
mixing up the seasonings first, tasting it and making any adjustments before
adding the beef. Sun brand of curry powder, sold at many gourmet markets and even at Amazon (!), has wonderful sweet coriander and cumin notes
that harmonizes super well with the betel leaves.
¼ cup minced scallion, green and white part
2 teaspoons fish sauce
Scant ½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder, Sun brand preferred
2 tablespoons finely minced lemongrass (about 1 medium-small
stalk)
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder, Sun brand preferred
¼ cup minced scallion, green and white part
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 ½ teaspoons oyster sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
that does not weep during cooking)
About 4 ounces la lot leaves with the stems attached, enough
to yield 26 to 30 large leaves
1 tablespoon neutral flavored oil
1 recipe Basic Dipping Sauce (nuoc cham), made with the addition of minced garlic
1. In a bowl, combine the beef with one of the seasoning
options and cornstarch. Use your fingers to mix well. Set aside to marinate
while you prepare the leaves.
their center stems. Make sure to keep the leaf stem attached to the leaf.
You’ll need it later for creating the rolls. Rory puts the leaves matted side
facing up so they’re efficiently ready to roll and he doesn’t forget which side
the meat goes on.
matted side up. Take a bit of meat (about 2 tablespoons) and use your hand to
shape it into a small sausage of sorts. Place the meat on the leaf,
about ⅓ of
the way below the pointy tip. The length of the sausage doesn’t need to span
the full width of the leaf because the leaf shrivels during cooking, Rory says.
I like to get the meat to span the full width so that there’s moisture from the
meat to prevent less charring during cooking. It’s your choice.
Then roll up the meat in the leaf and use the little stem to
seal it up. The roll will keep its shape. Place the finished roll on a
foil-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining leaves until all the beef is
used. Rub a bit of oil on each roll when all of them are done.
4. To cook, position an oven rack on the top third of the
oven and preheat to broil. Slip the baking sheet into the oven and broil for 6
to 8 minutes, turning them frequently to cook evenly and prevent too much
charring of the leaf. The cooked rolls will feel firm, look a bit shriveled,
and be slightly charred at the edges.
cast iron grill. Traditional open flame grilling often times burns the leaves
up too quickly, unless you use moderately-low heat.
To grill the rolls, prepare a medium charcoal fire (you can hold your hand over the rack for only 4 to 5
seconds) or heat a gas grill to medium. Grill the rolls, with the top open most of the time so you may constantly monitor their progress and move them around to avoid burning the leaves. (The heat will go to about medium-low because you'll have the lid open.)
5. Transfer to a plate and serve with the dipping sauce.
Leftovers reheat well in a toaster oven preheated to 350F.
Rosa says
Oh my God, what do I see here! One of my favorite dishes!!!
I crave La Lot all the time and thanks to your recipe, I will try making this speciality at home. I hope that the Asian supermarkets here carry those leaves...
anh says
Thank you so much for recipe! I absolutely love bo la lot =) What a wonderful job of detailing the steps here.
Andrea Nguyen says
You're welcome Anh. I have been disappointed (actually, pissed off) at the many recipes (in Vietnamese and English) that conveniently don't tell you how to roll up the beef in the leaf. That's the major revelation in this recipe. Let the cat out of the bag!
Binh says
Looking up Piper sarmentosum and Piper lolot, I found out that they are actually in the same family as Piper betle, which is "lá trầu". Interesting.
Andrea Nguyen says
Binh, Yes!! La lot and la trau look very similar. If you don't know the difference -- la lot is on vines whereas la trau is sold cut off and in a stack -- you'd be in for a surprise. La lot is for cooking and la trau is for chewing with lime as a social stimulant.
k.pham says
Andrea, looking at the Bò cuốn lá lốt recipe that you post above, i somehow disagree with you in the use of lemongrass and curry powder in seasoning the meat. I recalled the authentic north vnmese recipe use finely chopped garlic and a tiny dash of ngũ vị hương (five spices) instead. I'm a pure-bred viet northerner guy myself.
Andrea Nguyen says
There are many ways that you can season the meat and I think by offering two options above, I make that statement. Many of the bò cuốn lá lốt recipes that I've seen these days employ curry powder; I'm not into the lemongrass as other cooks are, however.
This is an extremely popular dish in Saigon, in Seven Course Beef (Bo Bay Mon) feasts. I've smelled it cooking at sidewalk cafes. Southern cooks, who are heavily influenced by Indian and Southeast Asian flavors, have a proclivity for curry
k.pham says
you have a strong point that i have to agree with. True, the richness of a Cuisine depends on the variety of ingredients and the various ways to cook that we can use on any one particular dish. The french believe that to be a good cook is to be able to improvise, substitute this with that to create a completely new taste and flavor for a dish. The chinese practise the same philosophy, HK Chinese and Singapore Chinese cook chinese food with completely different taste.
On the other hand, i also be
Hong says
Hi Andrea, thank you for the great recipe. However, I noticed that you had erroneously referred to La Lot as Betel Leaf. It is actually not the same thing. La Lot is in the same family as Betel Leaf, but they are not the same. In fact, Betel leaf is Trau. La Lot doesn't have an English name, but is more commonly recognized by it's Thai name, "cha plu" (forgive my spelling).
Hoan says
Today i have a talk with one of my customer from Cali. He said that in cali Vietnamese often use grape leaves to roll breaf because they hardly buy La Lot. He was invited to try this cuisine but he did't like it.
Me too, I will never like it if some one invite me "bò lá nho". Finally we agree to have diner right this evening at "Bò 7 món" restaurant.
Quyen says
My mom recently made this for me and it was the best that I've ever tasted. She told me that she put a tablespoon or so of peanut butter in the meat mixture. It made it so moist and flavorful, yet you still couldn't tell that there was peanut butter in it.
Has anyone ever tried making this using what Koreans refer to as "sesame leaf"? I almost thought it was la lot the other day because it looked so similar. The taste is slightly different, but very unique.
Lynn says
Hi Andrea,
Thank you very much for your Bo La Lot recipe. I made it today. I used the seasoning option #2 because I like lemon grass. The dish tastes great although I am rather clumsy in cooking. I cannot imagine I could make and enjoy such a delicious dish in America where is halfway around the globe from my native country. I wish you good health and good luck.
Lynn
Thu says
Thank you for your recipe 🙂
Jill says
I'm crying! I cant find La Lot leaves here in Cape Town, South Africa.
I've had this dish in both my trips to Vietnam and this dish is the best thing i've ever tasted.
Plus the leaves made me lovely and sleepy!
If you know ANYBODY from Vietnam living in Cape Town who can help me source these please pass on my email address.
Thanks
Jill
[email protected]
Andrea Nguyen says
Hi Jill -- I found a source in Canada recently that will send you a la lot plant. Here's their site:
http://www.floraexotica.ca/Vegie.htm
Josh says
Quyen- Korean "sesame leaf" is actually Viet 'tia to,' (perilla in English, although the Japanese name "shiso" is common) and is quite a different herb from la lot, although it is very nice wrapped around beef and grilled as well. Completely different flavor and fragrance though. But, easier to grow (invasive, in fact, be careful with it) and easier to find in stores in some places.
buy generic viagra says
The truth is that I have not tried this dish ... but it looks delicious ... I want to try to see if it's as tasty as shown in the photo ...
Chris says
Andrea, I'd very much like to try this recipe. It doesn't make it here on Vietnamese restaurant menus here in Seattle. Same with Bo Kho (Vietnamese beef stew - very thick and rich and yummy with bread - no restaurant makes it).
Regardless, how can I distinguish the La Lot leaves from the La Trau leaves? I don't want to buy the right type of leaf for this recipe. Not the leaf used as a stimulant with lime and betel nuts.
By the way, I love both of your books: Vietnames Kitchen and Dumplings.
Andrea Nguyen says
@Chris: Sorry for the delayed response. La Lot is thin and usually sold on the vine. La trau is big and thick, usually the leaves are bundled up with a little rubber band at the base.
Jason G says
After having this as part of a Bo Bay Mon and a "Bo 3 Mon" (which was 3 kinds of sausages served on a normal bun bowl), I am determined to recreate the exquisite flavors. If I can't do it...gotta write the chef a letter. I will try both your methods Andrea, and report back.
Andrea Nguyen says
@Jason G: Keep me posted. I love to know what the chef has to say! Love your sleuthing.
Jason G says
Andrea: I tried your oyster sauce variation (adjusted slightly), and grilled them as tiny hamburgers, as I did not have la lot leaves at the time. It tasted good. It was close to The Taste. However, the grilled flavor I remember was really deep, and may have even included pork fat of some sort. The la lot leaves also certainly were missing. Nonetheless, when served atop bun with herbs and mam nem (again, something I must learn to do perfectly), it was very tasty. Definitely part of my rotation n
t.d.nguyen says
I tried this w/o reading any recipes, even after reading your blog. But definitely will next time.
Ben Thanh restaurant, St. Petersburg, FL, is 1 of 2 in town that make this dish. Ben Thanh makes it better so I always go there.
Anyway, going by taste, I used the standards (salt, ground pepper, garlic, lemongrass, and a tiny bit of msg (probably not needed)).
The lemongrass stalks weren't chopping very well in the blender so I thought if I'm going to add egg to the meat anyway (think meatloaf)
t.d.nguyen (a fan) says
I still would go to Ben Thanh, or any place that makes it right.
For $12, I get Bo Lap Lop, and a big plate full of greens, herbs, pickled daikon&carrots, and cucumbers. Also, vermicelli, rice paper, and the best fermented fish sauce (seasoned mam nem) around. You guessed it! Banh Trang Cuon Bo Lap Lop.
I won't mind if I'm called a lazy cook. 🙂
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Retro Jordan says
I doubt itill ever go public because Google is very strict who they give a license to, even though they didn't create the content they do whatever they want with it.
and I hope you will see my website also,so link my name and see some good produces I have,perhaps you will order some,believe me,come on!
Retro Jordan says
I doubt itill ever go public because Google is very strict who they give a license to, even though they didn't create the content they do whatever they want with it.
and I hope you will see my website also,so link my name and see some good produces I have,perhaps you will order some,believe me,come on!
Wilma C Smith says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will make some. Congratulations for the blog.
Total Commander says
Such a fantastic read, i cant find other places on the web like this. I have told my mates about ur site, they love it.
baby crib says
This is something so interesting. I want to try this one out. It looks so different from what we used to do in the country.
Luong says
Wonderful and delicious information. I would like to chime in, if you have access to lá mãng cầu, be brave and substitute it for lá lốt. It has a totally different flavor and creates either lovers or haters much like sầu riêng.
Jason G says
I never did get a letter back from that chef. I will have to ask her next time I am in Vancouver.
But I made some of the sausage again today, and wrapped it around chopsticks and skewers like a sausage shaped kabab. I grilled them and basted with mam nem sauce while grilling...they were super tasty. Mixed it with a bun type of noodle salad, but ate a lot of them before they got to the bowl, haha. I wish I could find some la lot so I could do the real deal. It's great grilled as a kabab though! T
du hoc says
It looks pretty good!
James Walker says
Hi Andrea, I can only add to the comments above, have loved these for years and hadn't found a recipe, (or the correct name) for these leaves. Looking forward to trying this out.. I am sure a few of my friends are into these as well...
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But I made some of the sausage again today, and wrapped it around chopsticks and skewers like a sausage shaped kabab. I grilled them and basted with mam nem sauce while grilling...they were super tasty. Mixed it with a bun type of noodle salad, but ate a lot of them before they got to the bowl, haha. I wish I could find some la lot so I could do the real deal. It's great grilled as a kabab though! Thanks for the recipe Andrea!
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I tried this w/o reading any recipes, even after reading your blog. But definitely will next time.
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sally a. says
For the person in Seattle (or anyone visiting there): Tamarind Tree on Jackson and Tangerine Tree by the Bartell's at Pike/Pine? and Broadway both have bo la lot. If you want to try a Thai appetizer, mian kham, made with la lot (Thai "cha phluu") ThaiKu in Ballard serves it.
giay tay says
I made this with a bit of a twist. Lemongrass in the thermomix with some vietnamese mint. I also lightly chopped the betel leaves (from Victoria St) in the TM and tossed through some finely sliced snow peas. I thought I had made enough for 2 dinners but we ate it all in one sitting it was so delicious. I will definitely make this again soon. Tip for those in Melbourne is to not be intimidated by Victoria Street and ask the merchants questions about their products. They are only too happy to help
Nickle says
Great Recipe! it really is and must be appreciated by all! 🙂
spice herbal incense says
Making it is not an easy task.. The heart-shaped leaves are shiny on one side and matted on the other..But the interesting thing is that pan is the main ingredient of this dish which makes it so special..
marlon says
it looks delicious ... I want to try to see if it's as tasty as shown in the photo .
Sonja says
My husband adored this dish in a local restaurant so i made your recipe for dinner tonight (variation 2). It was a very special meal and delicious. Thank you very much for sharing your recipe and cooking methods.
Cecilia says
I was wondering if I can.make these ahead and freeze? Would you recommend wrapping in the leaves then freeze or cooking them first then freeze?
Super thrilled to have another recipe for my Betel leaves.
Andrea Nguyen says
Wow, I really don't know, Cecilia. I guess you could freeze them uncooked but I don't know what would happen to the moisture in the leaf. Why not make a batch and freeze some to test? That's what I would do. Please let us all know how things work out.
Jay says
I know this is an old past but I just made these. I used shiso leaves that grow like mad in my garden. I also used ground chicken. Turned out amazing!
Andrea Nguyen says
What a great idea, Jay! Shiso is much easier to grow than la lot/wild betel. Thanks for the tip!
Bob says
I'm still confused about what "real" la-lot is. I have a betel plant in my yard, given to me as "la lot." It is a vine, some of the leaves are pretty big (over 6 inches),, and the raw leaves are definitely peppery. But they look just like the leaves you are using. That suggests that my plant is piper betle, not piper sarmentosum. The picture in Wikipedia of a piper sarmentosum in the La-lot article plant is not a vine but a plant with rigid, thin stems. But you say you buy your la-lot on a vine. And in my oldest Vietnamese cook book ("Simple Art of Vietnamese Cooking" la-lot is described as having a "freshwater taste with a pleasing sour bite.", So are the leaves you are using peppery or plain and a little sour?
Andrea Nguyen says
The leaves for piper sarmentosum are supple and thin. The ones for piper betel are thick and more firm. I don't taste a sour bite in la lot. In raw form, la lot is mildly vegetal. At Viet markets, the leaves are sold attached to their stems. On the other hand, piper betel leaves are typically stacked. I think you've got the chewing kind not the cooking kind. How cool!