Mai

Food wrapped in delicious aromatic edible leaves is such an incredible culinary treat. The Ottoman region has Dolma with grape leaves, Korea has Kkaennip Jeon with perilla leaves, Vietnam has Thịt cuốn xương sông with Blumea lanceolaria leaves in the North and Bò lá lốt in the South. My family is Northern but I grew up in the South, so we always ate Thịt cuốn xương sông at home and Bò lá lốt at restaurants.

Bò lá lốt (or bò nướng lá lốt) is made by rolling minced beef [bò] in Piper sarmentosum/Piper lolot leaves [lá lốt]. They are sometimes called “lá lốp” in some Southern regions. You might see them mistakenly referred to as betel leaves.

The beef is an incredible mix of ingredients, including lemongrass and oyster sauce. Lá lốt has a lovely smoky/peppery flavor that elevates the taste of the beef beautifully. You can usually find lá lốt at Asian grocery stores, either as a fresh bundle in the produce section or on a wrapped tray in the refrigerated section. However, our filling recipe will also be delicious with perilla leaves, which are more common outside of Vietnam.

These skewers can be cooked on the grill, in an oven, or even in the air-fryer. They can be served by themselves as an appetizer or my favorite way: with bún noodles, lettuce, and cucumbers as a meal!

Bò lá lốt is commonly served with mắm nêm- a thick sauce made of fermented fish (similar to shrimp paste). We’re sharing a fish-sauce based dipping sauce alternative that is also delicious!

Aside from being a culinary herb, lá lốt can also be used medicinally to help with stomach, skin, and joint issues.

INGREDIENTS

• Piper sarmentosum/Piper lolot leaves – Lá lốt: They are sometimes called “lá lốp” in some Southern regions. They are sometimes confused with betel leaves (which are in the same genus, but different species). Lá lốt has a lovely smoky/peppery flavor and is used in many Southeast Asian cuisines such as Bangladeshi, Thai, Laotian, and Malay. They are usually sold in Asian grocery stores as fresh bundles with stems or as wrapped trays with leaves only.
• Minced beef – Thịt bò xay/bằm: The fattier the minced beef the better for this recipe. In Vietnam, it is common to add mỡ chài – caul fat to the filling to increase the fattiness.
• Lemongrass – Sả: a plant commonly used in several Southeast cuisines. As the name suggests, it has a distinct citrusy, floral, somewhat herbal scent and taste. It is also used in other Vietnamese recipes such as heo xào sả ớt, hến xúc bánh tráng, and bún bò xào.
• Oyster sauce – Dầu hào/hàu: a thick dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt and water. It is sweet, savory, umami and can add a lot of depth to a dish. It is commonly used in Chinese, Thai, Malay, Vietnamese, and Khmer cuisine. Click here for more recipes with oyster sauce.
• Garlic – Tỏi
• Shallot – Hành khô/hành tím
• Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
• Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
• Ground black pepper – Tiêu đen xay
• White granulated sugar – Đường cát trắng
• Vegetable oil – Dầu thực vật
• Roasted peanuts – Lạc/Đậu phộng rang
• Green onions – Hành lá
• Lime juice or rice/white vinegar – Nước chanh hoặc giấm gạo/giấm trắng
• Bird’s eye chilies – Ớt hiểm
• Optional for serving:
  • Bún noodles
  • Lettuce – Xà lách
  • Cucumber – Dưa chuột/dưa leo

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse and dry the leaves. Trim off stems. Be gentle as to not rip the leaves.
   Whole leaves are best but you can keep slightly ripped leaves to layer or mix in with extra filling.
2. Cut off the root end of the lemongrass. Peel off the tough outer 1-2 layers. You can either mince using a heavy-duty knife (such as a cleaver) or my recommended way: using a blender or spice grinder. If using a knife, slice your lemongrass thinly before mincing. If using a blender/grinder, you can chop more roughly.
3. Mince the garlic and shallots.
4. To a large bowl, add the ground beef, lemongrass, minced garlic, minced shallot, fish sauce, oyster sauce, bouillon powder, ground black pepper, sugar, and vegetable oil. Mix well to combine and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
5. Crush the roasted peanuts with a mortar and pestle. You can also chop them with a knife or use a rolling pin.
6. Slice the green onion greens and add to a heat safe sauce bowl along with the bouillon powder.
7. Heat the vegetable oil on medium in a sauce pan until oil bubbles around a wooden chopstick or spatula. Pour the oil over the onion greens and stir.
8. Mince garlic and mix with the rest of the ingredients in the ‘Sauce’ section.
9. Wash lettuce, slice cucumbers, and cook bún noodles- if using.
10. Pre-heat oven to 200°C/400°F or start your grill.
11. Lay a leaf on a flat surface, shiny side down and stem end towards you.
    Add about 1 tbsp of filling (less if the leaf is small) about 1 cm away from the bottom of the leaf.
    Shape the filling into a rough log shape, leaving at least 2 cm of space on the left and right sides of the leaf.
    Fold the 2 sides towards the center – the folded edges should be parallel.
    Fold the bottom up over the filling.
    Roll tightly towards the tip of the leaf.
12. Take a skewer or toothpick and pierce it through the roll. It is best to pierce close to the tip of the leaf (about 1 cm) so that the roll will remain closed and not unravel.
13. Repeat with the rest of the leaves. If you have a large leaf with a small hole or rip, you can lay a smaller leaf or a piece of ripped leaf over the hole to patch it up. Try to keep the rolls even in size to ensure they cook at the same rate. I usually add 5 rolls to one skewer.
    If you have extra filling and no more big leaves to make rolls, mince up the small/ripped leaves remaining and mix into the filling. Shape into small patties. You can bake/grill/panfry/air-fry these patties and they will taste just as delicious!
    Made more rolls than you can eat? Simply add the skewers to a freezer bag in a single layer and freeze. They can be baked from frozen- just add 5 minutes to baking/grilling time and 2-3 minutes to air-frying time.
14. If baking in the oven, I recommend using a wire baking rack/oven grid placed on top of a baking tray. This allows extra juices from the beef to drip off and help the leaves become crispy.
15. Brush the rolls with some vegetable oil.
16. Bake/grill for 10-15 minutes until the leaves look wrinkly/crispy and internal temperature reaches 70°C/160°F.
17. Once the rolls are done cooking: add to plate, sprinkle with crushed peanuts, and spoon scallion oil over the top.
18. Add cooked bún noodles, lettuce, and sliced cucumber to the plate, if using.

RECIPE VIDEO

Bò lá lốt • Grilled beef in lốt leaf

Course: Appetizers, Mains, VietnameseCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Medium

Makes

2

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

55

minutes

Skewers of minced beef seasoned with lemongrass wrapped in fragrant lá lốt – lolot/piper sarmentosum  leaves.

Ingredients

• 250 g 250 fatty minced beef

• 25 25 Lolot/lá lốt/lá lốp leaves

• 5 5 barbecue skewers (or a toothpick for each roll)

• Beef seasoning

• 15 g 15 lemongrass

• 5 g 5 garlic

• 10 g 10 shallot

• 1 tsp 1 fish sauce

• 1 tsp 1 vegetable oil

• 1 tsp 1 oyster sauce

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 bouillon powder

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 ground black pepper

• 1/8 tsp 1/8 sugar

• Toppings

• 15 g 15 roasted peanuts

• 20 g 20 green onion greens

• 30 ml 30 vegetable oil

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 bouillon powder

• Sauce

• 5 g 5 garlic

• 2 tsp 2 fish sauce

• 1 tsp 1 sugar

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 lime juice or rice/white vinegar

• Chili (optional)

• For serving (optional)

• Bún noodles

• Lettuce

• Cucumbers

Directions

• Rinse and dry the leaves. Trim off stems. Be gentle as to not rip the leaves.
  Whole leaves are best but you can keep slightly ripped leaves to layer or mix in with extra filling (see Notes).
• Cut off the root end of the lemongrass. Peel off the tough outer 1-2 layers. You can either mince using a heavy-duty knife (such as a cleaver) or my recommended way: using a blender or spice grinder. If using a knife, slice your lemongrass thinly before mincing. If using a blender/grinder, you can chop more roughly.
• Mince the garlic and shallots from the Seasoning section.
• To a large bowl, add the ground beef and all the ingredients from the Seasoning section. Mix well to combine and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
• Crush the roasted peanuts with a mortar and pestle. You can also chop them with a knife or use a rolling pin.
• Slice the green onion greens and add to a heat safe sauce bowl along with the bouillon powder.
• Heat the vegetable oil on medium in a sauce pan until oil bubbles around a wooden chopstick or spatula. Pour the oil over the onion greens and stir.
• Mince garlic and mix with the rest of the ingredients in the ‘Sauce’ section.
• Wash lettuce, slice cucumbers, and cook bún noodles- if using.
• Pre-heat oven to 200°C/400°F or start your grill.
  See Notes for air-fryer instructions.
• Lay a leaf on a flat surface, shiny side down and stem end towards you.
  Add about 1 tbsp of filling (less if the leaf is small) about 1 cm away from the bottom of the leaf.
  Shape the filling into a rough log shape, leaving at least 2 cm of space on the left and right sides of the leaf.
  Fold the 2 sides towards the center – the folded edges should be parallel.
  Fold the bottom up over the filling.
  Roll tightly towards the tip of the leaf.
• Take a skewer or toothpick and pierce it through the roll. It is best to pierce close to the tip of the leaf (about 1 cm) so that the roll will remain closed and not unravel.
• Repeat with the rest of the leaves. Try to keep them even in size to ensure they cook at the same rate. I usually add 5 rolls to one skewer. See Notes for tips about ripped/small leaves, extra filling, and freezing.
• If baking in the oven, I recommend using a wire baking rack/oven grid placed on top of a baking tray. This allows extra juices from the beef to drip off and help the leaves become crispy.
• Brush the rolls with some vegetable oil.
• Bake/grill for 10-15 minutes until the leaves look wrinkly/crispy and internal temperature reaches 70°C/160°F.
• Once the rolls are done cooking: add to plate, sprinkle with crushed peanuts, and spoon scallion oil over the top.
• Add cooked bún noodles, lettuce, and sliced cucumber to the plate, if using.

Recipe Video

Notes

• If you have a large leaf with a small hole or rip, you can lay a smaller leaf or a piece of ripped leaf over the hole to patch it up. See video.
• If you have extra filling and no more big leaves to make rolls, mince up the small/ripped leaves remaining and mix into the filling. Shape into small patties. You can bake/grill/panfry/air-fry these patties and they will taste just as delicious!
• Made more rolls than you can eat? Simply add the skewers to a freezer bag in a single layer and freeze. They can be baked from frozen- just add 5 minutes to baking/grilling time and 2-3 minutes to air-frying time.
• Air-fryer cooking instructions:
  Preheat at 200°C/400°F for 3 minutes.
  Air-fry at the same temperature for 4-5 minutes. (Check at 3 minutes to make sure they are not cooking too fast)

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