Bo La Lot – Grilled Beef in Piper Lolot Leaves in Saigon

Bo La Lot – Grilled Beef in Piper Lolot Leaves

Fully known as thit bo nuong la lot (thịt bò nướng lá lốt), this Vietnamese dish includes minced beef mixed with garlic and shallots, some simple spices, sometimes ground pork and pork fat. The ingredients are mixed well, then wrapped into wild betel leaves (also known as piper lolot leaves), rolled up like cigars, and grilled over hot charcoal.

Bo la lot is usually served with crushed peanuts, green onion oil, rice noodles, a wide range of fresh vegetables and herbs, pickled daikon and carrot, special dipping sauce. You can use chopsticks to eat the rice noodles with the beef roll and the others.

However, Saigon people prefer to wrap all in a sticky rice paper into a roll, then dip in the sauce before tucking in. It is true that Saigon people love finger eating 🙂 Sometimes, Bo la lot is topped on rice noodles or question cake. They eat the noodles or question cake with grilled beef, vegetables and herbs using chopsticks.

Where to eat Bo La Lot – Grilled Beef in Piper Lolot Leaves in Ho Chi Minh City?

I would like to share with you the best places to eat Grilled Beef in Wild Betel in Saigon:

• Nhà Hàng Hoàng Ty or Hoang Ty Restaurant
  • Location:
    • 70 – 72 Vo Van Tan Street, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City;
    • 1 Nguyen Huu Cau Street, Tan Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City;
  • Opening hours: 10:00 – 23:00; Prices: 50,000 – 110,000 VND; Website: https://hoangty.vn/; Highlights: famous restaurant franchise, diverse menu.
• Hòa, 92 Co Giang Street, Co Giang Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City; Opening hours: 13:15 – 22:00; Prices: 20,000 – 30,000 VND.
• Hoàng Yến, 121 Co Giang Street, Co Giang Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City; Opening hours: 16:00 – 22:30; Prices: 20,000 – 25,000 VND.
• 1 Bac Hai Street, Ward 15, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City; Opening hours: 16:00 – 23:00; Prices: 40,000 VND.
• Cô Liêng, 321 Vo Van Tan Street, Ward 5, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City; Opening hours: 8:30 – 21:30; Prices: 50,000 VND.

How to make Bo La Lot – Grilled Beef in Piper Lolot Leaves

You can make this food at home and below are the ingredients and directions:

Ingredients:

(This recipe can make about 20-24 rolls.)

1 £ of ground beef (or you can also use a mixture such 1/2 beef and pork or 1/2 beef and chicken)

1/2 tablespoon of finely minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon of finely minced shallots
1 tablespoon of curry powder
2 tablespoon of chopped lemon grass
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of cracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 package of fresh or frozen betel leaves (if none available, use perilla leaves. If using frozen betel leaves, allow to defrost outside and separate leaves and allow to dry slightly on paper towels before wrapping )

3 tablespoons roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons of scallion oil (heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil, remove from heat and add finely chopped scallions)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine meat with garlic, shallots, lemongrass, curry, fish sauce, sugar, pepper and salt and mix well and set aside in the fridge and prepare leaves.

To prepare the leaves, detach the leaves from their stems and roll with the glossy side facing down. Place a generous 1 tablespoon full of meat near the base of the leave and shape accordingly. Roll the base over making sure that the length of the meat doesn’t exceed the width of the leaf. Secure the apex of the leaf with a tiny bit of meat mixture, using it as a paste. Use a scissor to cut of any excess ends of betel leaf.

In Vietnam, these are grilled over small charcoal ovens, but you have multiple great options. You can grill using skewers or a grilling basket or broil in the oven for about 6-8 minutes, turning a few times to prevent the leaves from burning.

After the bo la lot rolls are finished grilling, they are served accompanied by Vietnamese rice paper, bun vermicelli rice noodles, and a host of herbs and raw vegetables on the side.

Finally, some extra dipping sauces and freshly crushed chili is what elevates the flavor of bo la lot to even higher levels of delicious.

The mix of flavorful meat grilled in an herbaceous leaf, paired with raw vegetables, and being able to assemble each roll yourself, are the reasons why bo la lot is such an amazing Vietnamese dish.

Bo La Lot is served with rice noodles

Bo La Lot is put on skewers as a favorite street food