Ingredients for Cha La Lot
– Pork: 400g
– Cha La Lot leaves: 20-30 leaves
– Spring onions, shallots, garlic
– Seasonings: Salt, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, oil
How to Make Delicious Cha La Lot
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients
Rinse the pork and pat it dry. Then, either grind or finely mince the meat. You can also ask your butcher to grind it for you.
For the shallots and garlic, peel and rinse them, then crush and finely chop. As for the spring onions, wash them and cut into small pieces, about 0.5 cm in length.
How to Roll Cha La Lot
Rinse the Cha La Lot leaves and set aside the nice-looking ones. Chop up any torn or ugly leaves and put them in a bowl.
Step 2: Marinate the meat
In a mixing bowl, combine the ground pork with the chopped shallots, garlic, spring onions, and Cha La Lot leaves. Then, season with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 2 teaspoons of fish sauce.
Using gloves, mix everything together thoroughly and let the meat marinate for about 30 minutes to absorb all the flavors.
You can add a little oil to prevent the meat from drying out, which will result in softer and tastier patties when fried.
Step 3: Roll the patties
Place the Cha La Lot leaf vein-side up and use a spoon to scoop a generous amount of the mixture onto the leaf. Roll it up and continue until you’ve used up all the filling.
How to Roll Cha La Lot
Step 4: Fry the Cha La Lot
Heat a pan over medium heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the patties in the pan, starting with the ones that have leaf edges sticking out to secure them during cooking.
Fry the patties for about 10-15 minutes, turning them occasionally, until the leaves turn a golden brown color. When done, remove from the pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Step 5: Serve
Your delicious Cha La Lot is now ready to be enjoyed! The perfect Cha La Lot should be evenly cooked, with a crispy exterior and juicy, flavorful meat inside.
Cha La Lot can be served as a snack or alongside rice. However, the traditional way to enjoy it is to wrap it in fresh herbs and dip it in a sweet and sour fish sauce.
Tips for Making Cha La Lot
For the pork, it’s best to use a combination of pork shoulder and belly for a juicier and more flavorful patty.
When buying pork, look for meat that is bright pink in color and feels firm and bouncy. Avoid meat that is dull in color, wet, or has an unpleasant odor.
Choose shallots that are firm and free of mold. Avoid soft and flattened shallots.
