Street food is something that brings back memories of college days for most of us. No matter which part of the World you are from, street food usually holds a special place in your life. It is an amalgamation of tastes; sweet, salty, sour, spicy, umami! With the simplest of ingredients and techniques, the street hawkers manage to bring out a burst of flavor.  I am always amazed by this fact. I think I can safely say that Asia has the best street food markets! I was recently watching a documentary on Vietnam and its food. One thing that intrigued my interest was grilled meat wrapped in beetle nut leaf.  We call the betel nut leaf paan in India. I used to only have it as a mouth freshener. The possibility of making something else with it was fascinating. So I decided to give it a go. I bought some Vietnamese ingredients, created this Vietnamese inspired recipe and the results were mouthwatering! This meat wrapped in paan leaf left an earthy aroma when grilled! I will be making this more often, especially since barbeque season is upon us!  🙂

What you will need:

How to make it:

• Wash and dry the betel nut leaves. Remove the stalk from the back.

  

• In a food processor, add the shallots, garlic, Thai chilies, ginger, coriander leaves. Also add the fish sauce, soya sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped.
• Add these chopped ingredients to the minced meat along with salt. Mix well.

  

  

• Place a little bit of the minced meat mixture on the betel nut leaf. Wrap as shown below.

  

• Line 3-4 wrapped leaves together. Secure with skewers as shown.

  

• Brush with oil. Grill until the meat is cooked.  Turn frequently.

  

• Serve with dipping sauce of your choice.