My earliest memory of betel leaves are of them arriving on a silver platter after a family function. The freshly washed betel leaves would be arranged on the tray in an overlapping circle accompanied by a square container filled with bits of the arecanut mix and a tiny silver box of chunnam. We would all sit around listening to our mothers and aunts conversing. As they sat engrossed, their fingers were busy making up betel leaf parcels. They often pinched off the ends of the betel leaf and gave it to us to chew on. We were told that this was very good for the lungs and I believe that even today. A bite of that peppery end and I feel healthier in an instant.
A few years ago my mother-in-law gave me betel leaf saplings that have grown into healthy creepers in my front driveway. It’s where I go if I have to ward off a cold.
I was thrilled to see Luke Nguyen in MasterChef including betel leaves in a list of typically Asian ingredients in a mystery box challenge. One of the contestants used the betel leaf as a wrap for a dish he cooked ! I decided to do the same. I enjoy lettuce wraps, zucchini and carrot parcels, etc. Not only are they healthy but they pack in so much flavour.
Hosting vegetarian guests for dinner recently seemed the perfect time to try my betel leaf experiment. I made a stuffing of button mushroom, baby corn and spring onions cooked with ginger, soy and a bit of chilli. As an accompaniment, I served fresh date sauce and a tamarind puree’ that took care of the sweet and sour elements. Green sprouts and roasted peanuts added the interesting textural elements to the wrap. I was excited about using two different kinds of chilli sauce that I picked up at the Gourmet Bazaar.
They were by Karthikeyan Palanisamy who is part founder of Regal Chocolates who is in the process of sourcing different varieties of chillies for his green devil and red chilli sauce. Both sauces pack quite a punch.
I can safely say that the majority of us at the table enjoyed the complex flavours of the betel wrap. The rest said they loved the stuffing, but not so much the strong betel leaf flavour. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed making the wrap because it reiterates my food mission of wanting to create different dishes using what grows around us. It is always gratifying to take a humble ingredient and elevate it in a manner that nurtures it’s growth and contributes to our well-being.
