Charbroiled Beef In Fragrant Leaves
Published July 25, 1995
- Total Time
- 1 hour 5 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
20 la-lot leaves or grape leaves, packed in brine
1 pound lean ground beef
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 ½ tablespoons minced lemon grass or lemon zest
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon fresh black pepper
10 bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water to cover for 1 hour
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon safflower or corn oil
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
5 grams carbs; 54 milligrams cholesterol; 242 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 1 gram fiber; 230 milligrams sodium; 14 grams protein; 2 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat 3 quarts of water until boiling. Drop the grape leaves in the water and swish them around briefly. Drain in a colander, and immediately refresh in cold water. Drain thoroughly, and pat dry.
- Step 2
In a bowl, mix the ground beef, shallots, lemon grass or lemon zest, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper, and stir well to combine. Grab about 1 tablespoon of the beef mixture and lightly shape into a roll. Place at the tip end of the leaf. Roll up halfway, fold in the edges to enclose, and finish rolling. Thread two of the packages across onto each skewer.
- Step 3
Prepare a medium-hot fire for grilling, or heat broiler. Mix sesame and safflower or corn oil, and brush on. Grill for 6 minutes on each side, until beef is cooked and leaves are nicely charred. Serve with Vietnamese dipping sauce.
Private Notes
Comments
So my grape leaves were a bust. They were fresh from my garden, and they were too small to use in the manner described by the recipe. I decided to skip the leaves and just grill patties. It was really, really good. I’ll do it with grape leaves next time, perhaps, to get a sour complement to the sweeter meat, but don’t let that aspect of the recipe keep you from making it. Also, I would have given five stars, but there’s no dipping sauce recipe. That would have been super helpful.
This was good! The recipe came up in a search for “ground beef” and “chard”so I subbed the chard for the grape leaves. I added some salt and lemon to my ice water for blanching the leaves to give it some briny essence. The nouc cham sauce brings everything together.
So my grape leaves were a bust. They were fresh from my garden, and they were too small to use in the manner described by the recipe. I decided to skip the leaves and just grill patties. It was really, really good. I’ll do it with grape leaves next time, perhaps, to get a sour complement to the sweeter meat, but don’t let that aspect of the recipe keep you from making it. Also, I would have given five stars, but there’s no dipping sauce recipe. That would have been super helpful.
@jgivenshtx The original 1995 NYT’s article this dish was featured in included a dipping sauce! The article is linked at the top of the recipe.