Vietnamese Pork Rolls in Wild Betel Leaves (Chả Lá Lốt)
Chả lá lốt is a traditional dish from Northern Vietnam made of seasoned ground pork wrapped in lá lốt (wild betel leaves) and then pan-fried. This rustic dish is loved for the aromatic, peppery, smoky flavor imparted by the lá lốt leaves when they are cooked.
In Northern Vietnam, chả refers to various types of ground or chopped meat (such as pork or fish) that are seasoned, shaped, and then cooked by grilling, steaming, or frying. A famous example is the grilled pork patties in bún chả. Similarly, chả lá lốt is another popular dish you can come across it in many family meals as well as food stalls in the North.
In the South, there’s a variation called bò cuốn lá lốt, where ground beef is used for the filling, and the rolls are grilled. In contrast, Northern chả lá lốt uses ground pork, and the rolls are pan-fried. We mix the pork with garlic, shallots, fish sauce, and pepper to create a savory and flavorful filling. For added texture, we also like to add julienned wood-ear mushrooms but it’s an optional ingredient.
You can find wild betel leaves (also called piper lolot leaves) at some Vietnamese grocery stores. I recommend using the largest leaves to wrap the meat rolls, and if you have excess small leaves, thinly slice them and add to the filling. The filling will be imparted with even more flavors from the leaves.
How to Serve
Chả lá lốt can be enjoyed in a number of ways. Growing up, we often ate it simply with steamed rice or as a topping in noodle soups, especially shrimp noodle soup, fish cake noodle soup, or freshwater crab noodle soup (bún riêu cua).
It is also possible to serve these Vietnamese betel leaf-wrapped pork rolls with bún (rice vermicelli noodles), accompanied by fresh herbs, lettuce, and nước chấm, a tangy fish sauce-based dressing. You can check out my other noodle bowl recipes, such as bún chả, lemongrass grilled fish with noodles, or grilled beef in betel leaves with noodles, for inspiration on how to serve it.
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Vietnamese Pork Rolls in Wild Betel Leaves (Chả Lá Lốt)
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz ground pork
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 22-24 medium to large wild betel leaves, washed and patted dry (for wrapping)
- cooking oil
Optional ingredients for the filling
- 0.4 oz dried wood-ear mushrooms (optional)
- several extra small wild betel leaves, julienned or thinly sliced (up to ⅓ – ½ cup julienned)
Instructions
- If using dried wood-ear mushrooms, soak in hot water to reconstitute them. After they have been rehydrated, chop off the stems, then finely mince. You will have about ⅓ – ½ cup of minced mushrooms.
- Place ground pork, fish sauce, salt, pepper, shallots, garlic, and minced mushrooms and julienned betel leaves (if using) in a mixing bowl. Mix well to combine. You can cook a teaspoon of filling to taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Lay a large wild betel leaf glossy side down on a clean working surface. Place about a tablespoon of the meat filling on the leaf, form into a small log and then wrap with the leaf. Continue to wrap with the remaining filling and leaves.
- Place a pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add a generous amount of cooking oil. After the oil is heated, pan-fry the pork rolls in a single layer for 4-5 minutes or until fully cooked. Turn/rotate the rolls every 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer to a wired rack or a plate lined with paper towel briefly to absorb excess oil. Serve hot. See Notes on ways to serve these rolls.
