Nem Nuong
Vietnamese Grilled Pork Stix!
OH YES, STREET FOOD AT ITS BEST!
This is such a delicious snack that you can devour straight from your hands. Like many other Asians, the Vietnamese are crazy about pork and definitely know how to prepare it on the BBQ. In Vietnamese cuisine, the meat is often finely minced into a smooth mixture, which is then flavored with a special curing powder to give it the right taste and texture. This way, it can either be baked into a kind of cake or shaped into tasty meatballs. Grinding the meat, baking the cake, and then grilling or skewering the strips is a bit of work, but it makes it so authentic and a great snack that’s perfect for parties. The only thing you’ll have to do last minute is throw the skewers on a hot grill and voilà, snack time!
The ingredients:
(6-8 persons)
NEM NUONG STIX
- 1 kg ground pork
- 125 g pork fat (or fatty bacon)
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 50 ml fish sauce
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp toasted rice powder
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 sachet (16 g) baking powder
- 50 g Tusino nem nuong curing powder
- 1 handful of ice cubes
NUOC CHAM DIPPING SAUCE
- Juice of 4 limes
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 bird’s eye chilies, thinly sliced
GARNISH OPTIONS
- Bean sprouts
- Spring onions, thinly sliced
- Fresh coriander
- Fresh red chili
- Green lettuce leaves
- Rice papers
Required Tools
- Food processor with chopping blade
- Oven dish (approx. 20 x 35 cm)
- (Soaked) satay skewers
- BBQ or grill
Preparation Method:
Duration: Preparation: 40 minutes, Cooking: 40 minutes
For the Nem Nuong Stix, place all ingredients in the food processor bowl. Let it run for a few minutes until you get a smooth mixture. Let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Prepare the BBQ (or use the oven for this part) for indirect grilling and heat it up until it reaches a temperature of 180°C. Grease the oven dish and put the Nem Nuong Stix mixture in it. Smooth it out and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 60°C.
To make the Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce, mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Remove the cooked meat from the BBQ or oven and let it cool slightly. Now, set up your BBQ for direct grilling at 200°C.
Transfer the slightly cooled meat to a large cutting board and cut it into long strips, about 1 cm thick. Skewer each strip onto a satay stick. Grease the BBQ grate with some oil. Grill the skewers, turning occasionally, for a short while until they have a nice roasted color and crispy edges.
Serve the skewers with Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce, along with some lettuce leaves, freshly sliced spring onions, fresh coriander, strips of fresh red chili, or turn them into rice wraps by rolling them in water-soaked rice papers.
