A delightful starter. Do not underestimate how many people will eat!

It is similar to the Vietnamese dish bo la lot, but the latter uses ground meat whereas that here is simply cut into strips.

1. Pound the lemongrass and shallots to a paste in a mortar and pestle. Put into a bowl and add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, oil, sesame seeds, chilli powder, sugar and black pepper. Mix well and season with salt if desired.
2. Immerse the beef fillet strips in the mixture and marinate for at least 1 hour, allowing the meat to soak in the flavours.
3. Once the beef strips have marinated, wrap each in a betel leaf: first remove the stalk from the leaf and lay glossy side down; place the beef strip across the stem end of the leaf; roll up tightly and temporarily pin with a toothpick if desired.
4. Brush each leaf with a little oil and cook over a grill (ideally a charcoal grill) for 2-3 mins.
5. Serve on a large plate with fresh Soy chilli dipping sauce on the side..