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a plate of Vietnamese pan-fried pork rolls wrapped in wild betel leaves (cha la lot).
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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 pan-fried. You can eat it simply with steamed rice, or as a topping in noodle soups and vermicelli noodle salads.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Main Dish, Side Dish
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: pork wrapped in betel leaves
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 211kcal
Author: Sophie Pham

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)
US Customary - Grams

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.
    plates containing ingredients for Vietnamese pork rolls in wild betel leaves (cha la lot).
  • 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.
    ground pork filling in a mixing bowl.
  • 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.
    Vietnamese pork rolls wrapped in piper lolot leaves being fried in a cast iron skillet.
  • 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.

Notes

You can eat these rolls 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).
Another option is to use them as a topping in vermicelli noodle salads, accompanied by fresh herbs, lettuce, and fish sauce dressing. Check out my other noodle bowl recipes, such as bún chả, lemongrass grilled fish with noodles, or grilled beef in betel leaves with noodles to see how to put together a vermicelli noodle bowl with these pork rolls.

Nutrition

Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 451mg | Potassium: 276mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg