serves
4
prep
40 minutes
cook
15 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
4
people
preparation
40
minutes
cooking
15
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup dried shitake mushrooms
- 4 pieces dried wood ear mushrooms
- ⅓ cup dried shrimp (see Note)
- ½ small onion, finely chopped
- 4 small spring onions, finely chopped
- ½ small jicama or kohlrabi, peeled, cut into thin long strips (julienne)
- ½ carrot, cut into thin long strips (julienne)
- 300 g minced pork
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 3½ tsp Chinese dried egg powder (optional; see Note)
- 20 sheets Vietnamese rice paper (bánh trang; see Note)
- vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
Nước mắm pha dipping sauce
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) Vietnamese fish sauce (nước mắm)
- 1½ tsp white sugar
- 125 ml (½ cup) water
- a squeeze of lime juice
- a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper
- coriander leaves, to serve
Chilli vinegar
- 20 garlic cloves, halved
- 2 red bird’s-eye chillies, roughly chopped
- distilled white vinegar, to fill
Instructions
To make the chilli vinegar, line the base of a sterilised screw-top jar with the garlic cloves, then add the chillies (add more or less depending on how much kick you want it to have). Fill the jar with the vinegar and leave to strengthen for 2 days. Store in a cool, dry place or in the fridge and keep using whenever you want.
To make the filling, place all the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water to soak and soften. Do the same for the dried shrimp. Once they are soft, drain and thinly slice the mushrooms and finely chop the shrimp.
Place the minced pork, mushrooms, shrimp, onions, spring onions, jicama and carrot in a big bowl and combine well. Add the beaten egg (it’s the secret here and holds everything in the nem rán together, much like a meatball, and gives a richer texture), then sprinkle in the salt, pepper and dried egg powder, if using. Set aside to combine the flavours until needed.
To make the dipping sauce, stir the fish sauce and sugar in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add 1 tablespoon of base vinegar mix and 125 ml (½ cup) water. Taste and add more fish sauce or sugar to taste. Finish off with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of black pepper.
To roll the nem rán, lay a sheet of rice paper on a clean, dry surface. Take about 2 tablespoons of filling and line the mixture up near the edge of the rice paper like a sausage. Fold over the short edge once to cover the filling, then fold in the rice paper from left and right to enclose the filling securely. Continue rolling towards the end of the rice paper and set aside until ready to cook. Repeat with the remaining rice paper and filling.
Fill a large frying pan with vegetable oil until 2 cm deep and heat over medium heat. In batches, gently lower the nem rán into the pan to prevent them sticking to each other and breaking the fragile wrapping and fry for 4–5 minutes or until golden (ensure they cook at at a constant low sizzle). Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel to soak up the excess oil.
To serve, provide everyone with their own dipping bowl and fill with a couple of tablespoons of nước mắm pha and some fresh coriander. Add some extra black pepper if you like and get dipping!
Notes
• Dried shrimp and Chinese dried egg powder are available from Asian food stores.
• Rice paper in Vietnam is more delicate than the ones we find in Asian supermarkets abroad. If you only find the harder thicker version, dip quickly in a bowl of room-temperature water and dry on a kitchen towel before wrapping. This makes them easier to handle.
Recipe from by Gabriella Zanzanaini and Nicolas Petit, with photographs by Nicolas Petit.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
