 |
 La
lop: Pepper
leaf, wild betel leaf, ye-thoei (Thai). Often expensive to buy, these
heart-shaped leaves are used to wrap around a ground beef mixture for thit
bo nuong la lot. When grilled, la lot leaves impart a wonderful herbal
flavor to the garlicky beef. The leaves are shiny and wet looking on one
side and matted on the other. Raw, the leaves have a sweet cinnamon scent
but their taste isn't cinnamon like, but rather a little medicinal. At
Asian markets in the states, the leaves are sold in bundles, Styrofoam
trays or plastic bags |
Ingredients :
| 12 |
oz |
ground beef |
| 1 |
x |
shallot peeled, sliced thin |
| 1 |
lrg |
garlic clove peeled and minced |
| 2 |
tbl |
minced lemongrass from the white bulb |
| 2 |
tsp |
sugar |
| 1 |
tbl |
fish sauce (nuoc mam) |
| 24 |
x |
la lot (lá
lót)
leaves or small grape leaves |
| |
|
Bamboo skewers soaked in water |
| |
|
for 20 minutes and drained |
| |
|
Nuoc Cham (Dipping Sauce) |
|
Method :
- Mix together the beef, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, sugar and fish
sauce in a bowl.
- If using grape (lá
lót) leaves,
rinse, drain and pat them dry. Put about 2 teaspoons of filling in
the center, slightly closer to the wider end. Fold the wide end over
the filling, fold in the sides, and then roll up carefully, making
sure the filling is completely and tightly enclosed. Repeat the
process with the remaining leaves and beef mixture.
- Depending on length of skewers, slide 3 to 5 beef rolls crosswise
onto each skewer. Grill over a barbecue (make sure flames have
subsided and coals are red, with white ashes) or on a well-oiled
grill pan over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes per side. Serve
with Nuoc Cham sauce for dipping.
- This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.
- Comments: Because la lot leaves are very hard to find in the West,
this recipe is usually made using grape leaves, which make an
excellent substitute. Grape leaves are widely available in
supermarkets and middle-eastern specialty shops. This dish is often
part of the "Beef Seven Ways" ritual in Vietnamese
cooking.
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