Nem Nuong
Ground pork does the heavy lifting here, with garlic rounding it out. A Vietnamese dinner that takes 45 minutes, start to finish.
✓ USDA-verified nutrition data
484 calories
49g protein
24g carbs
22g fat
2g fiber
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Ground pork
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 2 Shallots
- 2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 8 Bamboo skewers
- 12 Round rice paper
- 1 head Butter lettuce
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 cup Pickled carrot and daikon
- 1 cup Fresh herbs
- 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp Peanut butter
- 2 tbsp Crushed peanuts
Steps
- Soak the skewers in water for 20 minutes so they do not burn on the grill.
- Process the pork with garlic, shallots, fish sauce, sugar, baking powder, and pepper until sticky and paste-like, about 2 minutes. The baking powder is the quiet trick behind the springy, bouncy chew.
- Wet your hands and mold the pork into fat sausages around the skewers, pressing firmly so they hold.
- Grill over medium-high heat, turning every few minutes, until charred in spots and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Rest 5 minutes before sliding off the skewers.
- Simmer the hoisin with peanut butter and a splash of water, whisking until it ribbons off the spoon. Thin with more water if needed; it thickens as it cools.
- Set out rice paper, lettuce, cucumber, pickles, and herbs. Each person dips a rice paper round in warm water, layers a lettuce leaf, herbs, pork, and pickles, and rolls it up.
- Serve with the warm peanut sauce for dipping and extra crushed peanuts on top.