These Vietnamese grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves are parcels of deliciousness with a distinctive fragrance and smoky, juicy, tender meat. Enjoy it with a pineapple anchovy dipping sauce and cold beer for the ultimate street snack.
When it comes to Southern Vietnamese street food, I have a deep love for grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves, or bò lá lốt. I grew up eating it as often as Vietnamese spring rolls and Vietnamese crepes. Visit Saigon and you will find street vendors grilling beef wrapped in betel leaves at just about every corner. The distinctive aroma is pretty hard to miss. After immigrating to America, we missed it so much that my dad started growing his own betel leaves. I'm excited to bring you our family's recipe for grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves. They are little parcels of deliciousness with juicy, tender meat grilled to perfection.
Ingredient Notes
- Betel leaves: also called lá lốt are grown in Southeast Asian cuisine. They are heart-shaped leaves, glossy on one side and matte on the other side. They have a distinctive peppery taste and fragrance. You can find betel leaves at Asian markets. Unfortunately there's no substitution for betel leaves. If you have leftover betel leaves, cut them in thin strips and stir fry with some beef.
- Lemongrass: much of the lemongrass’s flavor is concentrated in its lower, cane-like stalks. Look for firm, pale-green stalks with fat, bulbous bottoms. Trim off the spiky tops and the bases and crush the stalks with the side of a knife to release their aromatic oils before chopping them up. You can also use a food processor to grind them.
- Aromatics: other aromatics that I used for this recipe are shallots and garlic. Make sure you finely chop the shallot and mince the garlic so they flavor the meat well.
- Fish sauce: use a quality fish sauce. Some of my favorite brands are Three Crabs, Flying Lion Premium Fish Sauce, and Red Boat Fish Sauce.
- Anchovy fish sauce: also known as mắm nêm, this sauce is made from fermented fish. You can find anchovy fish sauce at Asian markets.
Tips for Making Grilled Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaves
- For the beef, use freshly ground sirloin or flat iron. If you're using all beef for this recipe, make sure to incorporate twenty to twenty-five of pork fat with the beef otherwise the meat will be very dry after grilling.
- Even though the recipe name says beef, Vietnamese make these delicious parcels with not just beef but with pork and pork fat. I like to use ground pork butt and pork fat to keep the meat moist and flavorful after grilling.
- Leave the filling in the fridge for 1 hour for the flavors to develop.
- To make it consistent for grilling, I weigh the amount of filling. For a large betel leave, use 1 ounce of filling. For a small to medium betel leave, use about half an ounce of filling.
- The final weight of the ingredients will be around 22 ounces. You will need 22-24 large betel leaves or 44-48 medium betel leaves to wrap the filling.
How to Fold the Grilled Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaves
To assemble the little parcels, lay the betel leave on its glossy side, lay the filling about half an inch from the bottom of the leaf on the matte side.
Fold in the two sides of the leaf over the filling.
Take the bottom of the leaf and roll it forward toward the top of the leaf tightly in a cylinder shape.
Once you're done rolling, use a skewer and pierce the the roll to secure the leaf. You can also use toothpicks instead of skewers.
Tips for Grilling Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaves
When it comes to grilling, go for the real deal, the charcoal grill! Using a grill pan over the stove or roasting it in the oven won’t give you that authentic bò lá lốt experience. Place the coals on one side of the grill, let the temperature rise to about 365-375 degrees F before tossing the beef wrapped in betel leaves on it. The larger parcels will need about 4 minutes on each side while the smaller parcels will need about 3 minutes on each side. Rotate the skewers in between to prevent them from burning. When cooked, the rolls should feel firm if you press it with tongs.
What to Serve Grilled Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaves With
You can eat grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves as a snack with a pineapple anchovy dipping sauce. To make it a more substantial meal, you can wrap them in rice paper or enjoy them with vermicelli noodles, lettuce, and herbs like Vietnamese mint (rau răm), Thai basil (húng quế ), peppermint (húng lui), and Vietnamese perilla (tiá tô), cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, roasted peanuts, and a sweet and tangy dipping sauce (nuoc cham).
As these beef wrapped in betel leaves were grilling, I couldn't help salivating. I started snacking on them minutes after they came off the grill. By themselves, the betel leaves are odorless. Once grilled they generate a beautiful fragrance unlike anything else. The betel leaves also imbued a distinctive taste to the meat. The mouth-watering aroma along with smoky, juicy, tender meat made these grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves unbelievable delicious. I always make a double batch because I usually eat whole batch while grilling!
For more Vietnamese street food inspiration, check these recipes:
Vietnamese Grilled Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaves / Bò Lá Lốt
Equipment
- Food processor
- bamboo skewers or tooth picks
Ingredients
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 5 ounces ground pork (use pork butt)
- 3 ounces pork fat
- ¼ cup finely chopped lemongrass
- ¼ cup diced shallot
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 22-24 large betel leaves or 44-48 medium betel leaves
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- pickled vegetables for serving
Pineapple Anchovy Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup anchovy fish sauce
- ½ cup chopped fresh pineapple
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 bird's eye chili, thinly sliced
Instructions
- To make dipping sauce, process all ingredients except chili in food processor until smooth. Adjust seasoning to your liking with additional sugar or lime juice. Transfer sauce to a bowl and top with sliced chili.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, pork, pork fat, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper. Use your hand to knead the filling together. Leave the filling in the fridge for 1 hour for the flavors to develop.
- Pick the individual betel leaves and wash in cold water. Lay the leaves flat on a kitchen towel or paper towel to dry.
- When ready to assemble, lay the betel leaf on clean work surface with glossy side down with stem pointing toward you.
- Spoon filling onto the bottom edge of the leaf, leaving about half an inch from the bottom and two sides.
- Fold in the two sides then take the bottom of the leaf and roll toward the top into a cylinder shape.
- Use bamboo skewers to thread through the roll and secure the leaf.
- Repeat this process until you have used all of filling. The mixture should make about 22-24 rolls.
- Set up the charcoal grill by placing coals on one side and lighting them. Rake the coals to create a flat even bed to create an even steady heat zone.
- Once the coals have burned down to about 365-375 degrees F, place the skewers and the grill and let them cook for about 4 minutes on each side for the large skewers and 3 minutes on each side for the smaller skewers. Turn skewers in between to prevent them from burning. When cooked, rolls should feel firm once pressed with tongs.
- Transfer cooked beef wrapped in betel leaves to serving platter and top with roasted peanuts. Serve immediately with pineapple anchovy dipping sauce and pickled vegetables.
Tran
Tried this today along with the thit nuong! Wow, I'm blown away but the flavor, how moist, and flavorful the bo la lot was. I didn't even need the sauce.
Patrick
So excited to finally make this after seeing them on your stories. The ones I had at the restaurant don't even come close to these!
Minh
Made this over the weekend and half of it didn't even make it to the table! I kept snacking on them and before I knew it, there were only half left. Luckily I also grilled up your thit nuong so we had meat to eat with noodles.
Tuong
Way better than the restaurant! They turned out really juicy and tender. Love the flavor of the betel leaves and lemongrass.
Lisa
The flavor was spot on! Made me remember my travel in Vietnam and all the street food we ate.
Kim
So glad I doubled the recipe. We enjoyed it with noodles and herbs along with the thit nuong.
Nguyen
One of the best bo la lot I've tried!
Charlotte
I remember eating this on my trip to Vietnam and they tasted amazing. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
BA
We made this along with the bun cha. Tasted just like the restaurant.
Thuy
It was so good. I will double the recipe next time.
Abby
This reminded me of the bo la lot we had on our vacation in Vietnam. Brought back a lot of memories wandering around the city and enjoying all the street food.
Su
So good! I can't think of anything else like this.
Ty
So good! The flavor is spot on!
BA
One of the best things I've grilled this year! The smell and flavor were just amazing. It brought me back to Vietnam. Thank you!
Jenn
Hands down one of my favorite recipes on your blog. I'm so glad I read the other comments and doubled the recipe. It was hard not to eat them while you're grilling. Thanks for the recipe!
Molly
So good! I can't get enough of them!
Tony
The smell and flavor were amazing! You make me want to grow my own betel leaves so I can make it more often.
Andrew
I couldn't find the large betel leaves so I used a couple smaller ones to wrap around the meat. They came out great!
Vy Tran
I'm glad it worked out!
Ashley
Easy to make and so flavorful!
Sarah
I really enjoyed the flavor and how easy it was to make!
Tiffany
Hi Vy,
This recipe looks super tasty and delicious, I can't wait to make these, I was just wondering by Pork Fat do you mean Pork Lard? Thank you 🙂
Vy Tran
Hi Tiffany! Yes, pork lard is the one! Don't use rendered pork lard. Whenever I have a slab of pork belly with a lot of fat, I cut some off and freeze them for this recipe. Hope you like it!
Emily
So flavorful! I made it two different ways, grill on the pan and charcoal and the charcoal tasted a lot better.
Kim
So good! I love the flavor of the betel leaves with the meat. Way better than the restaurant!
Bun cha Thang Long
Love beef, leaf of lolot 🙂
Kristie
Amazing flavors! Just like the ones I had in Vietnam.
Alexandra
Hands down one of my favorite recipes on your blog! Reminds me of the street food I had in Vietnam.
Steph
I've tried a lot of recipes. This is the most moist and flavorful!
Lauren
This has become one of our favorite things to grill. The flavor is incredible. I haven't had anything like it!
Huynh
Grilled these over the weekend. They tasted great, moist and flavorful. I wish I had double the recipe but I didn't have enough betel leaves.
Ashley
Hands down one of my favorite things to grill! I love the mam nem but my kids like the nuoc mam.
Alisha C Nguyen
The aroma transports you to the streets of Vietnam! All that's missing is an ice cold bia Saigon!
Vy Tran
Absolutely! I do miss the street food scene in Vietnamese a lot. When I left Vietnam, I was too young for beer but I definitely will enjoy it next time =)
James
Excellent!
Le
The best bo la lot I've tasted! so moist and flavorful.
Yana
Amazing flavor!
Phan
So good! I couldn't stop eating them.
Wan
So easy to make! I couldn't find the large betel leaves so I didn't roll it. I wrapped it and it worked just fine. Will be making these again!
Ethan
Made these a couple times already. Wonderful flavor!
Maria
Just grilled this for the holiday weekend. Amazing! Will be making it again.
Tim
So flavorful! I regret not doubling the recipe because we kept eating it off the grill.
Ni
I made this a few times already. Consistent results, so moist and flavorful.
Ald
Amazing and so good
Have you ever tried to freeze them when cooking a very large batch?
Vy Tran
I'm so happy you enjoyed them! We never make enough to freeze. I asked my aunt who makes them for her restaurant and she said to freeze them uncooked but microwave them for a couple minutes before grilling otherwise the filling will be uncooked and the outside burnt if you just grill them frozen. I'm going to test it and let you know!
Cathy
Made these last weekend! Very moist and flavorful. I doubled the recipe and froze half. Going to try them in the air fryer and see how they taste.
Dianna
I finally found betel leaves to make them and doubled the batch since I can't get betel leaves regularly. They turned out amazing!
Jonathan
Grilled this for a party. They didn't last long. I will have to double the recipe.
Kelly
Hi, I want to try this recipe but I am wondering why pig fat is used when beef fat is available too. Would it change the flavor too much if I subbed beef fat for pig fat?
Vy Tran
hi Kelly! Beef fat has a different flavor from pig fat. For me the beef fat has a more prominent gamey flavor whereas pig fat is more neutral. I think of it as eating a bowl of pho vs a bowl of hu tieu (rice noodle soup with pork). The beef fat will overpower the other flavor of the meat and the betel leaves. It won't hurt to substitute with beef fat. The taste will be different.
san chang
I can't seem to find Betel leaves. And I live in San Jose California! Does anyone know where to purchase the leaves?
Vy Tran
It's a hit or miss. I used to live in San Jose and most of the Asian supermarkets had them. Indian grocery stores might have them.
Nhi
Flavor is spot on!
Richard
Fantastic recipe! Made it for 8 ppl. I added 1/4 cup more palm sugar and a 1/2 cup more pineapple to the dipping sauce to balance it out a bit more. It’s a keeper.
sgadmin
Thank you so much Richard!