Grilled pork with wild betel leaves is a delicious and attractive dish that is easy to make, beloved by most Vietnamese people because of its surprising combination of ingredients and flavors. Let’s get cooking and immediately try out 2 delicious grilled dishes now!
1. Grilled Pork with Wild Betel Leaves
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Grilled Pork with Wild Betel Leaves For 4 people
Rice noodles 500 gr Ground pork 200 gr Ground beef 200 gr Wild betel leaves 400 gr Garlic 2 bulbs Onion 1/4 bulb Grilled meat sauce 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common seasoning a little (salt/ sugar/ pepper)
How to prepare Bun cha with la lot
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Prepare the ingredients
Ground beef and pork after purchasing should be placed in a bowl or dish.
Remove any damaged or worm-eaten leaves from the la lot, leaving the stem longer for easier wrapping in the next step.
Wash the la lot leaves clean, then choose young, soft leaves to chop finely. To clean the la lot better, you can soak the leaves in salt water for a few minutes and then rinse with clean water.
Peel the onion and garlic. Then rinse with water and chop finely one by one.
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Marinate the filling
Add the minced ingredients including garlic, onion, and betel leaves into a bowl or mixing bowl. Continue to add 2 tablespoons of grilled meat sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and mix well.
Then, cover the bowl or mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to let the meat absorb the seasonings.
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Wrap the betel leaf rolls
Prepare two large plates, one for the meat and betel leaves, and one for wrapping the rolls. Lay the betel leaves on the plate, ensuring the dark green side is facing down.
Add a sufficient amount of meat at the tip of the betel leaf, wrap it halfway, then fold the sides of the leaf in and continue to wrap to make the roll more compact. After wrapping, use a toothpick to secure the middle of the roll, then insert the wrapped part into the hole just made to secure the roll.
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Pre-fry the minced pork
Place a pan on the stove, wait for the pan to heat up, then pour 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan. After that, arrange the minced pork rolls in the pan and fry for about 2 – 3 minutes until all sides of the pork are golden, then turn off the heat.
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Grill the minced pork
After frying, continue to place the minced pork in the air fryer to grill for 10 minutes at a temperature of 400 degrees F, equivalent to about 204 degrees C. Finally, arrange the grilled pork on a plate and get ready to enjoy.
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Final Product
Grilled pork with betel leaves and a layer of cooked, sweet, fragrant meat filling, with a moderate level of moisture combined with the characteristic flavor of betel leaves. Everything is evenly soaked in spices, making it incredibly appealing.
You can enjoy the dish with fresh noodles, a bit of fresh herbs, along with a bowl of sweet and sour fish sauce with garlic and chili, garnished with sliced carrots to enhance the dish’s flavor.
2. Grilled Pork with Betel Leaves
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour 15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Pork Ribs Wrapped in Betel Leaves Serves 4
Rice noodles 500 gr Ground pork 1.5 kg Pork ribs 1.5 kg Tomatoes 3 pieces Wood ear mushrooms 200 gr (dried mushrooms) Shiitake mushrooms 3 pieces (dried shiitake) Lemon 1 piece Onion 1/2 bulb Ginger 2 pieces Green onions 5 stalks Annatto oil a little Black pepper a little Fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon Common spices a little (Sugar/ salt/ monosodium glutamate/ pepper)
How to Choose Fresh Ingredients
How to Choose Fresh Pork Ribs
- Fresh pork ribs are those with light pink meat, good elasticity, and a characteristic meat aroma.
- You should choose ribs with small, flat bones as they likely have more meat. Ribs with large, round bones usually have less meat.
- If you plan to buy ribs at a traditional market, you should go early to have more options and buy the freshest pork just brought from the slaughterhouse.
How to Choose Good Wood Ear Mushrooms
- First, you should choose dried wood ear mushrooms instead of fresh ones because fresh mushrooms contain a compound morpholine that can cause itching or severe allergies.
- You should select wood ear mushrooms with thick, large ears, and the stems should have few small mushrooms. The top of the mushroom should be dark amber and slightly glossy, while the underside should be coffee-colored.
- Avoid buying mushrooms that are too dark, as they tend to become mushy when soaked in water, compromising the crispness and quality of the ingredient.
How to choose fresh and delicious shiitake mushrooms
- For fresh shiitake mushrooms, you should choose mushrooms with short stems, tightly-cupped caps, and a slightly yellow-brown color. The size of the mushrooms should neither be too large nor too small, and they should have the characteristic aroma of mushrooms.
- You should be careful when selecting mushrooms that are too dark brown, as these mushrooms are often toxic and not good for human health.
How to prepare Grilled Pork Belly with Betel Leaves
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Prepare the ingredients
Blanch the pork belly in boiling water with a bit of salt for about 2 – 3 minutes, then rinse with water to prepare for making the broth.
Wash and pluck the betel leaves. Note to leave the stems long for easier shaping of the meat rolls.
Clean the wood ear mushrooms, half an onion, 2 pieces of ginger, green onions, and a few young or imperfect betel leaves. Smash the ginger and finely chop the remaining ingredients in order.
After washing, cut the shiitake mushrooms and tomatoes into 4 equal parts. Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and the core from the tomatoes.
Effective ways to eliminate the smell of pork belly
- You can blanch the pork belly in boiling water or soak it in diluted salt water/vinegar for 2 – 3 minutes to more effectively deal with the smell of the pork.
- You can briefly dip the pork belly in boiling water for about 3 minutes, then remove it and rinse it with cold water.
How to properly soak dried wood ear mushrooms
- It is recommended to soak dried wood ear mushrooms in cold water for 3 hours. If you soak them longer than this, the compound morpholine – a harmful compound for the human body will be released strongly, negatively affecting the health of the consumers.
- Absolutely do not soak wood ear mushrooms in hot water, as this can easily stimulate the production of morpholine, leading to food poisoning.
See details: How to properly soak dried wood ear mushrooms
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Wrap the meat
Place one betel leaf on your hand, with the dark green side facing down against your palm. Put a sufficient amount of meat on the betel leaf and then roll it up. After rolling, secure the roll by inserting the stem of the betel leaf into the center of the roll.
You should leave some meat aside, roll it into small balls to prepare for the next step of making the broth.
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Cook the broth
Pour 1 liter of water and add the ribs after blanching into the pot to cook the broth. Add shiitake mushrooms, smashed ginger, a little ground pepper, 2 teaspoons of salt, 2.5 teaspoons of sugar, then cover the pot.
Cook for about over 1 hour until the ribs are tender, then continue to open the lid and add a little color oil and 3 teaspoons of monosodium glutamate into the broth. Cook for a few more minutes, then add 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce into the pot. Depending on your and your family’s taste, you can adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Continue to add tomatoes, meatballs, and a few rolls of minced pork, wait for the meat to cook.
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Completion
If you observe that the meatballs and the rolls have floated to the surface, then the broth is ready to use.
Place the noodles along with a few slices of onion and finely chopped green onion in a bowl, pour a moderate amount of broth over it, according to your taste or that of each person in the family. Finally, add a little cilantro, and you have a delicious bowl of grilled pork belly with betel leaves noodles.
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Final Product
Grilled pork belly with betel leaves noodles features soft and chewy noodles, perfectly cooked pork combined with the distinct flavor of betel leaves and a sweet and sour, rich broth. Everything is evenly infused with spices, making it very appealing. You can squeeze a little lime juice into the bowl and serve the dish with a few slices of spicy chili to enhance the flavor.
How to choose fresh minced meat
Instead of buying pre-minced pork/beef, you can buy whole pieces of meat and mince or grind them yourself using meat grinder to have more control over the quality of the meat, ensuring the health of yourself and your family.
- The meat should be light pink or deep red (for beef), and it should not have a sour smell, indicating that it is fresh and good quality.
- Additionally, fresh and good quality meat is firm and has good elasticity. Therefore, to check, you can gently press your finger on the piece of meat; if the indentation gradually disappears when you remove your finger, it is likely good meat.
- Pieces of meat that are purplish, mushy, slimy, or leaking fluids, or that have white grains like sticky rice on the meat’s surface (which are actually tapeworm larvae) are of poor quality and can adversely affect human health.
How to choose and where to buy betel leaves
- You should choose thick betel leaves that are dark green, with clear leaf veins, and no signs of yellowing or pests. Avoid buying leaves that are too old or too young, as the aroma will not be pleasant and they may not have the appropriate thickness for cooking.
- Avoid buying torn, yellowing, or bruised betel leaves.
- You can buy betel leaves at traditional markets or local markets in your area!
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