Beef wrapped in betel leaves, also know as Bò Lá Lốt, is another one of my favorites from mom’s kitchen growing up (and of course to this day). Per usual, my mom didn’t really give me any measurements, and was very vague when describing how to make this, so I winged it, and here we are. I’ve actually made several versions of this dish (one of which was an absolute disaster when I decided to add an extra ingredient that made it far too salty—and to make matters worse, I gave some plates to my friends without even tasting it first! D-OH!). Not to worry! I fixed it, perfected the recipe, and am now sharing it with you. Not gonna lie, mistakes happen often in my kitchen, but I am always determined to keep going until I get it right. Now I have the proper measurements and balance of flavors, and can always refer back to this recipe as needed.
Traditionally, bò lá lốt is cooked over a grill, but I live in New York City, where I have no easy access to the outdoors or a proper grill for that matter. My mom has always cooked this dish in a frying pan, and I find that doing so actually makes it tastier, since it cooks in its own juices, and stays moist and extra flavorful. The betel leaf is a very fragrant leaf that is chock full of vitamins, and are a great source of calcium. There is something so distinct about the scent of the leaves (a lovely almost peppery scent), and it transfers into the flavor of the dish beautifully.
So I don’t make bò lá lốt very often for two reasons: 1) the leaves are extremely difficult to find in New York (I’ve only found them in one store in Manhattan, and they are always costly and sold out), and 2) it can be quite time consuming to prepare (but so worth it in the end). My tips for making this dish? Lots of patience (clear your day, take your time, and enjoy the process), use a high quality beef, and don’t skip out on the toppings and dipping sauce. I hope you enjoy this recipe and please share with me your results/photos!
BEEF WRAPPED IN BETEL LEAVES / BÒ LÁ LỐT
Degree of difficulty: 4 (on a scale of 1-5)
Preparation time: Roughly 45 minutes
Cooking time: Roughly 10 min per skewer (5-6 min each side)
YOU’LL NEED
Yakitori skewer sticks (roughly 9” long)
A meat cleaver (optional)
A large work surface
A large non-stick frying pan
A mesh anti-splatter screen (optional)
INGREDIENTS ( serves 4-6 people )
1 pound of coarsely ground steak of choice (I purchased thinly pre-sliced rib-eye beef from H-mart, and used a meat cleaver to chop it up coarsely) other steak cuts of choice are flank or bavette. If you are on a time crunch, feel free to use pre-packaged grass fed ground beef
1 cup of finely chopped shallots
1 TBS fish sauce
1 TBS oyster sauce
1 TSP sugar
1 TSP ground white pepper
1 TSP chili garlic sauce
50-60 Large betel leaves, stems trimmed off, thoroughly washed/cleaned, and wiped dry
¼ cup of shallot or garlic infused oil (I used the oil that I used to fry my crispy fried shallots to top this dish with)
Scallion oil (for drizzling over vermicelli)
Crispy fried shallots (topping)
Crushed peanuts (topping)
DIRECTIONS
On a large cutting board surface, coarsely chop your steak/beef well using a heavy duty meat cleaver (if you are using pre-packaged ground beef, you can skip this step). Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 lb of coarsely chopped or ground beef, 1 cup of finely chopped shallots, 1 TBS of fish sauce, 1 TSP of sugar, 1 TBS of oyster sauce, 1 TSP of chili garlic sauce, 1 TSP of ground white pepper, and ¼ cup of your garlic or fried shallot infused oil. Mix well using your hands.
On a large work surface, lay your betel leaves glossy side down. Apply the marinated meat mixture (as shown in photo above), leaving about 1/4” from the sides. Roll the leaf starting at the pointy tip and finishing towards the trimmed stem of the leaf. Pierce the leaf neatly with two bamboo skewers (see photo above). Using two skewers will help keep the wrapped leaves intact, since it provides more stability. I placed about 6 beef rolls per skewer set.
Heat up about 1 TBS of cooking oil on medium heat in a large frying pan. Allow a couple of minutes for the oil to heat up nicely. Place two skewers in the pan. Pan fry until cooked through, making sure to flip sides for even heat distribution (5-6 minutes per side). Tip: It helps to use an anti-splatter shield while cooking. Set your cooked skewers aside on a plate, and continue pan frying until all desired skewers are cooked.
Serve on a bed of vermicelli, drizzled with scallion oil. Top with crushed dry roasted peanuts and fried shallots. Serve with pineapple dipping sauce.