Stuffed grape leaves (aka “dolma”) were a fixture of late 60s and early 70s American entertaining, adopted from Greek, Balkan, and other Mediterranean, and other Middle Eastern cuisines. When I first encountered Bo La Lot I could not help think of them as “Vietnamese dolma.” Both dishes are made by wrapping ingredients – meat, spices, and a starch – in leaves.
There are important differences though. One, of course, is the leaves themselves: grape leaves for dolma, and Betel leaves for Bo La Lot. Betel leaves are somewhat glossy, heart-shaped leaves. While dolmata have a tangy flavor, Bo La Lot are slightly sweet (and sometimes even slightly spicy) from the leaves themselves.
For the Stuffed Grape Leaves
Serves 6 (as a starter)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 stalk lemongrass, minced
- 40 grape (or, better yet betel) leaves
- Scallion oil
- Vietnamese mint
- 1 package vermicelli noodles
- 1 head lettuce
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
For the Nuoc Cham
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (2 limes)
- 2 to 2 ½ tablespoons sugar, agave, or honey
- ½ cup lukewarm water
- Unseasoned rice vinegar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 or 2 Thai chilis, thinly sliced,
Preheat the oven to broil. Add all the stuffed grape leaves ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands. Set the bowl aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
To form the stuffed leaves, lay the leaves flat on a plate with the matte side up. Roll 1-2 tablespoons of meat into the shape of a small sausage and place it on leaf, taking care to place the meat closer to the pointy side of the leaf. Roll the bo la lot like you would an egg roll. Put the bo la lot onto a skewer. Repeat this process until you run out of meat or betel leaves.
Put your skewers onto a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Broil the bo la lot for 6-8 minutes, turning them every 2 minutes to prevent the leaves from burning. Make sure to place the baking sheet on the top third of the oven. Serve and eat the bo la lot immediately.
