I actually didn’t end up eating Vietnamese beef balls (known as bò viên) until my more recent years, thanks to the influence of my husband. It just wasn’t something that my household grew up eating with our phở, but I soon learned that making these springy and compact beef balls from scratch would elevate my phở broth and my phở experience to a whole ‘nother level. They are packed with flavor and texture, and are quite fun to eat.

Since having my baby and going through 9 months of pregnancy, I hadn’t made my special 24 hour phở since spring of 2021. Well I finally decided to make phở this past weekend. This time around, I decided, on a whim, to make beef balls using slow cooked tendon as an extra ingredient for added texture. Tendon, also known as ‘gân’, is one of my absolute favorite add ons to my beef phở. When going out to eat, not only do I order it in my phở, but I will order an extra bowl of tendon on the side. If done right, it melts in your mouth perfectly. This recipe makes adding tendon purely optional, but highly recommended.

After making my meatballs, I saved the broth used to cook them, and I added it to my pho broth base for a more complex flavor profile. Nothing is ever wasted in this kitchen!

VIETNAMESE BEEF BALLS WITH TENDON ( BÒ VIÊN GÂN )

Degree of difficulty: 3 ( on a scale of 1-5 )

Preparation time 5 minutes, approx 15-20 minutes to form the meatballs, then 15 minutes of processing

Cook Time: About 10 minutes

 YOU’LL NEED

• A mixing bowl

• A large food processor

 INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs lean high quality ground beef (I prefer grass fed ground beef, but you can also go to your butcher and ask them to ground up some beef chuck or shank for you)

• 1 bag Alsa brand baking powder

• 4 TBS fish sauce

• 1 TSP sugar

• 1 TSP ground pepper

• 2 TBS very finely chopped garlic

• 1 TBS very finely chopped ginger

• Optional : 1/2 cup of braised/slow cooked tendon, cut into little chunks [I cooked my tendon the day before I made my meatballs. You can use a slow cooker, simmer on low over the course of about 8 hours), or use a pressure cooker. This ingredient is optional, but recommended if you love tendon and want the extra texture.

 DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, combine all of your ingredients, mixing well. Cover your mixture and place it in the fridge overnight to help bind the meat together.

2. When you are ready to make your meatballs the next day, remove your mixture from the fridge. Scoop some of your meat mixture into the processor, being cautious to only do a bit at a time so that you are not overworking the bowl. I would recommend filling no more than half of your food processor with meat (less is better). Process on high and stop to scrape the sides of the processing bowl as needed, and continue processing. When your mixture has the consistency of a fine paste, scoop and transfer to a large bowl, then work on processing your next batch. Continue in batches until all of the meat has been finely processed. Transfer all of your processed meat into the large bowl, and place in the freezer for a good half hour.

3. Remove the meat from the freezer, and begin forming little meatballs, using a small spoon to measure your amount each time for consistency. Place them on a parchment lined tray for easy access. Keep in mind that the meatballs will increase in size as the “puff up” as a result of the baking powder being activated in hot water. Do not worry about the meatballs being perfectly round or aesthetically beautiful, because no matter what, cooking them will make them imperfect.

4. Once the water has reached boiling point, begin placing your meatballs into the water. You will notice your meatballs rising to the top of the water after a few minutes. Once they reach the surface, let them cook for an additional 5-6 minutes before taking them out of the water. Place your meatballs in a bowl and allow to cool.

5. Serve with your phở, or in a bowl with some pho broth and fresh Vietnamese herbs.

Tip: Keep the broth water that you used to cook the meatballs and add it to your pho broth base for a more complex broth.

You can also freeze any leftover meatballs for a few months in the freezer. I like to save them for future phở meals, hotpot, or just to eat with extra broth/noodles I have. The possibilities are endless. I like to wrap them up tightly in cling wrap, and then seal them in a freezer bag for extra freshness.

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

1. 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.

2.  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. 

3. 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. 

4.  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.

5.  Serve on a bed of vermicelli, drizzled with scallion oil. Top with crushed dry roasted peanuts and fried shallots. Serve with pineapple dipping sauce.