Nem Nướng̣ - Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties

It's hard to resist the aroma of nem nuong during the marinating process . . . the aroma of fresh garlic, the roasted rice powder, the smelly but tasty must-have fish sauce that is essential and ubiquitous in Vietnamese cuisine. Let this sizzle over a pit of charcoal and voila . . . dinner is served.

After a few times of experimenting on this nem nướng, I finally got it down. I had to determine what will produce the best taste. After trying out various types of pork, the determining factor was . . . i hate to say it but . . . it's the fat content; the more pork fat, the softer the meat and the better the flavor. 

There's a second crucial factor. At first, instead of asking the butcher to grind the ground pork just one more time, I brought it home and grind it real fine. Big mistake. The fine ground allowed the meat to lose it's fats and caused nem nướng to be real dry and chewy. I avoided this it turned out great. 

You have the recipe to nem nướng. Great! Now you need the recipe to the sauce (click here). I enjoy nem nướng with its beautiful orange sauce that they usually serve at the restaurant. I was determined to unlock the secret and spice it up a little to create my own signature sauce. I have experimented with it twice and have received mixed reviews from my family. My husband prefers the first-try, my mother-in-law likes the second attempt, and my brother thinks it would be perfect to combine the two. So for now, try this sauce recipe until I come up with a better one.

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RECIPE: Nem Nướng 

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Ingredients 

2 lbs ground pork 

2 heads garlic, finely chopped or minced into fine paste (use mortar and pestle or food processor)

2 teaspoons Alsa baking powder or any single-acting baking powder brands or 1 teaspoon regular baking power 

4 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 tablespoons good fish sauce

4 tablespoons sugar

1-2 teaspoons ground pepper

2 tablespoons roasted rice powder 

1 tablespoon oil

1 drop of red color, optional 

20 wooden skewers

Accompaniments

Rice paper wrappers 

Fried rolls, optional

Lettuce 

Cucumbers, thinly sliced 

Pickled carrots and daikon , optional or

2 Granny Smith Apples

Assorted Herbs

Chives 

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Directions

Preparing Meat

In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, garlic, salt, fish sauce, sugar and white pepper. Kneed the pork mixture until all the ingredients are well mixed.

In a small bowl, mix water, color if used and baking powder. Stir the mixture until it foams up. Pour baking powder mixture into the pork mixture. Knead the pork mixture until all the ingredients are well mixed. The baking powder adds firmer and bouncier texture. Color will enhance the color of pork when grilled. However, I didn't use it in my food since I just want it as natural as I can. 

Add roasted rice powder to the mixture to enhance the aroma and taste. Mix it well. 

Cover the meat mixture or place it in a large ziploc bag and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight so that flavors can develop and the meat gets firmer which makes it easier to form patties, skewers or balls. 

Rub a small amount of oil into the palm of your hands so that the meat does not stick to it. Now you can form any shape you would like.

Turn on your grill or charcoal and grill it at medium high heat until it turns golden brown.

If baking, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brush oil on a baking tray and place the meat on it.  Place the tray on the middle rack and bake for about 20 minutes.  Switch from bake to broil and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the top is golden brown.  Remove from the oven. Let it cool down and cut into pieces.

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Making Fried Rolls

Use small size of Eggroll Wrappers.  Cut egg roll wrappers into half. Roll it up but not too tightly. Use an egg wash to seal the wrapper. Heat the oil until hot, then reduce the heat to medium. Fry until golden brown, drain on a paper towel and set aside.

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Preparing Apple

Granny Smith Apples are crisp, juicy, and tart. It's great for salads. Slice apples thinly then soak in salt water for few seconds.   Strain and set aside.  This method is to prevent apple from turning brown. 

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Presentation

Dip a rice paper in luke warm water. Place the rest of the accompaniments and patties on wet rice paper then roll it up. Dip it in your favorite sauce and enjoy. 

Nem Nướng can also be served in a bowl with bún (vermicelli rice noodle), roasted peanut, scallion oil, fresh vegetables, herbs, bean sprouts, and pickled carrot. However, I prefer eating Bún Nem Nướng with dipping fish sauce.

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*Raw Nem Nướng can be frozen and used later. Whenever you crave for it, just defrost frozen nem nuong the night before in the fridge.