Nem

Ingredients

Wrappers

• 30small spring roll wrappers, or rice paper

Filling

• 300 gminced pork
• 150 gcarrot, finely shredded
• 150 gwhite cabbage, finely shredded
• 80 gglass noodles, soaked and chopped
• 6dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked and chopped
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 3spring onions, sliced
• 2 tbspfish sauce or soy sauce
• 1 tspground black pepper
• 1egg
• salt

To seal

• 1 tbspflour mixed with 2 tbsp water

For frying

• 1 litrevegetable oil

Dipping sauce

• 4 tbspvinegar
• 3 tbspsugar
• 2 tbspfish sauce or soy sauce
• 3 tbspwater
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 2chillies, chopped
• 1carrot, finely shredded

Directions

1. Soak the glass noodles in warm water for ten minutes until soft. Drain them and chop them into short lengths. Soak the dried wood ear mushrooms in warm water for twenty minutes. Drain them, trim off any hard base, and chop them finely.
2. Shred the carrot and cabbage as finely as you can. A wet filling is the reason spring rolls burst in the oil. Toss the shredded cabbage and carrot with a teaspoon of salt. Leave them in a colander for twenty minutes. Squeeze them out hard in a clean cloth. Mixing the filling is done by hand. Put the minced pork in a large bowl. Add the squeezed vegetables, noodles and mushrooms.
3. Add the onion, garlic, spring onions and seasoning. Break in the egg, which binds everything together. Mix it thoroughly with your hands for two minutes. Fry a teaspoon of the mixture in a pan. Taste it and adjust the salt and pepper. It should taste slightly over-seasoned, since the wrapper is bland.
4. Lay a wrapper on the surface as a diamond, with a point towards you. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling on the lower third. Shape the filling into a short log. Do not overfill, since that is the other cause of bursting. Fold the near point up over the filling. Fold the two side points in over it. Roll it away from you into a tight cylinder.
5. Brush the far point with the flour paste and press it closed. Press out any air as you roll. Set the finished rolls seam side down on a tray. Do not let them touch each other or they will stick. Heat the oil in a deep pan to about 170C. Test with one roll: it should sizzle steadily and rise.
6. Fry them for six to eight minutes. Turn them occasionally with a slotted spoon. They should be deep golden and crisp all over. Cut one open from the first batch to check the pork is cooked. Draining them keeps them crisp.
7. Lift them onto a rack lined with paper. Do not stack them while they are hot. Let the oil come back to temperature between batches. Warm the vinegar, sugar, fish sauce and water until the sugar dissolves. Let the sauce cool completely.
8. Stir in the crushed garlic, chopped chilli and shredded carrot. It should be sweet, sour, salty and hot together. Serve them piled on a plate with the sauce in a bowl.

Technique

• Salt and squeeze the shredded vegetables, since a wet filling makes the rolls burst.
• Roll them tightly and press out air, as trapped air splits them in the oil.
• Fry at 170C so the pork cooks through before the wrapper browns.

Substitutions

• Rice paper in place of wheat spring roll wrappers.
• Minced chicken or prawn in place of pork.

Variations

• Vegetarian, with the pork left out and more vegetables.
• With prawn in the filling.
• Made larger, closer to a Vietnamese nem ran.

History

Fried spring rolls introduced by Chinese and Vietnamese communities during French colonial rule, now a fixture of Malagasy street stalls.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nem?

Nem is a street food from Madagascar: chinese-Malagasy fried spring rolls with dipping sauce. Fried spring rolls introduced by Chinese and Vietnamese communities during French colonial rule, now a fixture of Malagasy street stalls.

How long does Nem take to make?

Nem takes 1 hour of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 30 rolls. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Nem?

Yes, within limits. Rice paper in place of wheat spring roll wrappers. Minced chicken or prawn in place of pork.

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

Lay a wrapper on the surface as a diamond, with a point towards you. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling on the lower third. Shape the filling into a short log. Do not overfill, since that is the other cause of bursting. Fold the near point up over the filling. Fold the two side points in over it. Roll it away from you into a tight cylinder.