Nem
from Luke Nguyen's Hanoi Crisp Parcels (Nam Ran)
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Ingredients
Rolls
200g Crabmeat
200g Prawns, peeled and deveined
200g minced Pork
1 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp ground White Pepper
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
40g Glass Noodles, soaked for 20 minutes, drained and cut into 4cm lengths
40g dried Wood Ear Mushrooms, soaked for 20 minutes, drained and finely sliced
½ onion, finely diced
30 dried round rice paper wrappers (20cm in diameter)
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Mint and iceburg lettuce leaves for serving
Fish Dipping Sauce (nouc mam cham)
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 birds eye chilli, sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ cup water
Method
Rolls
Pound the prawns to a paste using a mortar and pestle.
In a large mixing bowl combine the pork and crab and then season with salt, pepper, sugar and fish sauce.
Add noodles, mushroom and onion and knead for 10 minutes.
One at a time quickly dip one rice paper wrap into a pan of warm water and place it on a chopping board or bench.
Take one heaped tablespoon of the filling and place it on the bottom edge of the rice paper.
Fold the two adjacent sides, one on top of the other into the centre. Roll the apex to form a nice firm roll.
Repeat until you have filled all the rice papers. All rolls should be 10cm x 3cm in diameter.
Heat oil in a wok to 180°C and fry the parcels in 3 separate batches for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp (they will rise to the top when they are ready).
To serve, place some of the herbs and a spring roll into a lettuce leaf, dip into nuoc mam cham sauce.
Fish Dipping Sauce (nouc mam cham)
Combine the fish sauce, rice vinegar, water and sugar in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir well and cook until just before boiling point is reached, then allow to cool.
To serve, add garlic and chilli then stir through with lime juice.