Pork Nems
6 servings
90 minutes
Nems are like fried pancakes with different fillings in Russia. In Vietnam, they are everywhere - you can buy them on the street, in cafes, and in large restaurants. Not to mention that they are often cooked at home. When talking about Vietnamese food, first , perhaps, they will remember pho soup, but in second place will definitely be nems.
1
Pass the meat and fat through a meat grinder using a medium-sized knife. Or chop the pork with a knife - not too large and not too small. The best for nams is not the rib, not the shoulder, but the belly meat.
- Pork: 800 g
- Pork fat: 80 g
2
Chop the mushrooms finely and shred the carrot. Then for the soy sprouts: they need to be slightly crushed before adding to the filling, otherwise their sharp ends will tear the rice paper during frying.
- Shiitake mushrooms: 50 g
- Dried wood mushrooms: 150 g
- Carrot: 400 g
- Soybean sprouts: 500 g
3
Chop the onion finely, and slice the green ones into very thin circles. Only the leaves of the cilantro are needed, and they should also be chopped finely.
- Onion: 150 g
- Green onions: 8 pieces
- Coriander leaves: 50 g
4
Soak the funchose in warm water (not hot, as it will cook). It should just become soft: if you take it in your hand and it hangs down, it's ready to work with. Cut it into pieces 2-3 cm long with scissors.
- Funchoza: 50 g
5
In the pork mince, add chopped mushrooms, soy sprouts, carrots, funchose, onions, greens, and finally add an egg — it binds all the ingredients and allows you to shape the nams. At the end, the mixture should be salted.
- Shiitake mushrooms: 50 g
- Dried wood mushrooms: 150 g
- Carrot: 400 g
- Funchoza: 50 g
- Soybean sprouts: 500 g
- Onion: 150 g
- Green onions: 8 pieces
- Coriander leaves: 50 g
- Chicken egg: 3 pieces
- Salt: to taste
6
You need to add a little sugar or honey to warm water — so that the nams have a beautiful rosy color. You should moisten your hand in this water, place a sheet of rice paper on the table and pat it with your wet hand. The paper should be damp but not too wet. One side is smooth and the other is rough; first moisten the rough side and then flip it over to moisten the second side. Then place the sheet smooth side down and put the filling diagonally in one corner, roll it once, tuck in the edges — and keep rolling. It shouldn't be rolled too tightly; there should be a little air inside; otherwise, the nam will tear in the pan.
- Rice paper: 30 pieces
7
Nems need to be fried twice. The first time is to cook the raw mixture inside. For this, the oil temperature should be about 160 degrees. After the first frying, the nems need to cool down — this takes at least half an hour.
- Vegetable oil: 2 l
8
The second frying is needed for the pancakes to be crispy. Therefore, the temperature should be higher: 200 degrees.
9
Making sauce for nems is very simple. For 1 liter of water, you need 130 g of sugar, 20 ml of fish sauce, 30 ml of fruit vinegar, 1 head of garlic (crushed), and 1 carrot (sliced into petals or flowers). Use exactly 5 large salt crystals. Mix everything and let it sit overnight in the fridge.