Nem Nuong

Ingredients

Pork paste

• 800 gpork shoulder, very cold
• 150 gpork back fat, very cold
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbspfish sauce
• 3 tbspsugar
• 1 tspground white pepper
• 2 tbsproasted rice powder
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 2 tbspiced water

To wrap

• rice paper rounds
• rice vermicelli, cooked
• lettuce leaves
• cucumber batons
• green banana, sliced
• star fruit, sliced
• mint, coriander and perilla leaves

Dipping sauce

• 150 gpork liver, or 100 g fermented soybean paste
• 100 gcooked jasmine rice
• 3 tbsproasted peanuts, ground
• 2 tbspsugar
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 300 mlwater
• 3garlic cloves
• 2chillies

Equipment

• a food processor
• bamboo skewers
• a charcoal grill

Directions

1. Put the meat and fat in the freezer for thirty minutes before you start. Chill the processor bowl and blade as well. Work quickly and return the mixture to the fridge if it warms. Preparing the pork is done with care. Trim the shoulder of all sinew and connective tissue. Cut both the meat and the fat into small cubes.
2. Keep them in the freezer until the moment you use them. Put the very cold meat cubes in the processor. Add the garlic, fish sauce, sugar, pepper and baking powder. Then run it continuously for two or three minutes.
3. Add the cold fat cubes and the iced water. Run the machine for another minute or two. Soak the bamboo skewers in water for thirty minutes. Wet both hands in cold water first. Take a handful of paste and mould it around a skewer. Form it into a sausage about twelve centimetres long. Press it firmly so it grips the skewer. Smooth the surface with wet fingers.
4. Simmer the liver in water for ten minutes and drain it. Blend it with the cooked rice, garlic, chilli and water. Blend until completely smooth. Pour it into a pan with the sugar and fish sauce. Simmer it for ten minutes, stirring, until thick.
5. Stir the ground peanuts into it. It should be thick enough to coat a roll heavily. Lay the skewers across the grill. Turn them over every two minutes. Grill them for eight to ten minutes in total. They should be lightly charred and cooked right through.
6. Cut one open to check there is no pink left. Assembling the rolls is done at the table. Dip a rice paper round briefly in warm water. Lay it flat and let it soften for a few seconds. Lay lettuce, herbs, vermicelli and cucumber on it. Add a grilled skewer and slide the skewer out. Add slices of green banana and star fruit.
7. Fold the sides in and roll it up tightly. Serving it is done immediately with plenty of sauce. Dip the whole roll into the thick sauce. Serve the herbs and fruit in a large pile on a shared plate.

Technique

• Keep the meat and fat near freezing throughout, since warm fat smears and breaks the emulsion.
• Chill the finished paste for at least four hours, or it will not set springy.
• Stop processing as soon as the paste is smooth and glossy, since more warms it.

Substitutions

• Fermented soybean paste in place of pork liver in the sauce.
• Ready-made pork paste from a Vietnamese shop.

Variations

• Served over vermicelli as bun nem nuong.
• Made into patties rather than skewers.
• With the soybean sauce instead of the liver one.

History

Grilled pork sausage, made from a mixture of ground pork and pork fat seasoned and grilled on skewers until lightly charred, developed in Vietnamese cooking, particularly associated with the coastal city of Nha Trang and the wider central and southern regions, where it is traditionally served wrapped in rice paper with fresh herbs, vermicelli noodles and a thick, savory dipping sauce. Its preparation, requiring the pork mixture to be pounded to a specific smooth, bouncy texture before grilling, reflects a technique shared with several other Vietnamese ground meat and sausage preparations that value a particular springy, well-worked consistency. Nem nuong Nha Trang in particular developed a strong regional reputation and identity distinct from other Vietnamese grilled pork preparations found elsewhere in the country.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nem Nuong?

Nem Nuong is a street food from Vietnam: seasoned pork paste grilled on skewers and rolled with herbs in rice paper. Grilled pork sausage, made from a mixture of ground pork and pork fat seasoned and grilled on skewers until lightly charred, developed in Vietnamese cooking, particularly associated with the coastal city of Nha Trang and the wider central and southern regions, where it is traditionally served wrapped in rice paper with fresh herbs, vermicelli noodles and a thick, savory dipping sauce. Its preparation, requiring the pork mixture to be pounded to a specific smooth, bouncy texture before grilling, reflects a technique shared with several other Vietnamese ground meat and sausage preparations that value a particular springy, well-worked consistency. Nem nuong Nha Trang in particular developed a strong regional reputation and identity distinct from other Vietnamese grilled pork preparations found elsewhere in the country.

How long does Nem Nuong take to make?

Nem Nuong takes 40 min plus 4 hours chilling of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 20 skewers. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Nem Nuong?

Yes, within limits. Fermented soybean paste in place of pork liver in the sauce. Ready-made pork paste from a Vietnamese shop.

What is the most important thing to get right in Nem Nuong?

Fold the sides in and roll it up tightly. Serving it is done immediately with plenty of sauce. Dip the whole roll into the thick sauce. Serve the herbs and fruit in a large pile on a shared plate.