[1] Traditionally, chả lụa is made of lean pork, potato starch, garlic, ground black pepper, and fish sauce.

If the banana leaf is not wrapped tightly and water leaks inside while it is being boiled, the sausage will spoil quickly if kept at room temperature.

Other variants include: Correctly made chả lụa can be stored at room temperature for about one week.

Banana leaves are not readily available in the US, so Vietnamese chefs made chả lụa wrapped in aluminum foil.

Where banana leaves are available a small strip of leaf is used for flavor, while still using aluminum foil to shape the sausage.