Beef Wrapped In Wild Betel Leaves, Bo Nuong La Lot

Something that I have always wanted to make but somehow always managed to talk myself out of it. After having cooked Vietnamese for the last few days, I thought it really must be time for me to try some thing new and yes I did!!! Not one but two new dishes for the first time and the result is just fabulous! I would have given myself a medal if my hands were not too greasy during the meal .

If you are like me, tired of yet another grilled dish that are deep fried, take matters into your own hands. They are actually really simple to make but the only problem is you'll never order this in a restaurant again!! The other dish I made to serve together with this dish is Vietnamese sizzling pancake.

Sadly the wild betel leaves (la lot in Vietnamese) are not as common as doggy drug dealers roaming this strip famous for it's asian grocers and Vietnamese restaurants that all have this dish on their menu . I managed to find some in one of the bigger shop for $3/bunch, not bad at all!!

P.S I also managed to test drive the Japanese stovetop grill that I got yesterday and it's just FABULOUS !!!

makes 20

you'll need;

500g of minced beef

1 onion and 3 cloves of garlic, chopped and saute

6 tbs roasted peanut, chopped

2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp salt

5 tbs minced lemongrass

4 tsp of sugar

4 tsp of fish sauce

10 bamboo skewers, soaked

lettuce and herbs

20 lalot leaves

Mix everything very well (except the herbs and lettuce of course)

Have the meat mixture, lalot leaves and bamboo skewers ready...

With the leaf gloss side down, place a small amount of meat paste on the leaf...

Roll it up tightly, set aside with the seam side down. Repeat with the rest....

Use 2 skewers to thread 4 rolls, repeat with the rest...

Grill the rolls till cooked, being careful not to burn them...(I moved them outside as it was becoming too smokey :p)

Served here with lettuce, mixed herbs and Vietnamese dipping sauce . Boy, that was good!!!