Nem Nuong Vietnamese Sausage Recipes

NEM NUONG (VIETNAMESE GRILLED PORK PATTIES)

Steps:

• Using food processor, process garlic until finely pureed. Combine pork, garlic, salt, pepper and sugar in mixing bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine baking powder and water and stir. Mixture will bubble and foam. Add one drop of food coloring or caramel syrup (this adds color to the pork when grilled).
• Fold the baking powder into mixture and allow meat to chill for about 30 minutes to 1 hour or longer. The baking powder forms air bubbles and adds more bouncier or spongier texture.
• Refrigerate meat mixture a few hours to let it set for easier handling while forming patties, balls or flattened mini sausages. Keep a bowl of water handy and your hands wet for easy handling.
• Grill or pan fry about 4-5 minutes per side.
• Serve with Nuoc Cham and vermicelli (bean thread), if desired.
• To make Nuoc Cham: In a bowl, mash the garlic with the sugar. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
• To make Bun Nem Noung: Place vermicelli in boiling water for about 6-8 minutes, stirring regularly to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pot. To check for doneness, take a strand and taste. It should be still slightly firm but easily breaks apart. Drain and flush with cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Combine vermicelli in bowls with nem nuong (pork patties), fresh herbs, pickled carrots and daikon, fried shallots and/or crushed roasted peanuts and dress with Nuoc Cham (sauce).

NEM NUONG (VIETNAMESE SAUSAGE)

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• Set a cast-iron pan over medium heat, and add rice. Cook, swirling and stirring constantly, until rice turns a deep golden color, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a small heatproof bowl and allow to cool. Use a spice or coffee grinder to grind cooled rice into a fine powder.
• Place rice powder, sugar, pepper, salt, baking powder, fish sauce and garlic in a large bowl, and stir to combine.
• Add pork to the bowl, and using your hands, mix thoroughly for 1 full minute.
• Heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Use a heaping tablespoon of pork mixture to make a small, thin sausage patty. Add a teaspoon or so of oil, and cook the patty for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Taste, and if needed, add salt or any other seasonings to the uncooked sausage mixture, and mix to combine.
• Divide and roll the remaining sausage into 8 3-inch logs, skewering lengthwise and placing on the prepared baking sheet as you go. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to come together. (Sausages can be made ahead and covered and refrigerated or frozen at this point until ready to use.)
• To cook, wipe out cast-iron pan, and return to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. When it shimmers, add sausages in a single layer, leaving space between them. Cook, rotating every 2 minutes, until browned on the surface and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total.
• Drain sausages on paper towels, and serve hot.

NEM NUONG (VIETNAMESE PORK MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Marinate the meat. In a bowl, combine the pork, shallots, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, pepper and chilli sauce. Stir to combine well, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hr and up to overnight. Transfer to the freezer for 30min, or until the mixture is partially frozen.
• Grind the rice. Place the rice in a small skillet and heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until rice is toasted, golden brown and fragrant.Transfer to a plate to cool. When cool, place rice in a coffee grinder and process to a find powder. Measure 3 tbsp of the powder and set aside. Save any remaining powder for another purpose or discard.
• Process the meat and prepare meatballs. Transfer the partially frozen meat mixture to a food processor and process to a completely smooth but stiff paste. Add the roasted rice powder and pulse several times to combine the mixture. Do not over process or the mixture will become sticky. Transfer the meat mixture to a small bowl. Lightly oil your hands. Divide meat mixture into heaping 1½ tbsp and roll each into a smooth ball. Recoat your hands with oil, as necessary. Thread the meatballs onto the bamboo skewers, fitting as many as you can on each skewer.
• Grill. Preheat a grill to medium-low. Coat the grill lightly with oil and grill the skewered meatballs, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 20-30 min.

NEM NướNG CUON (GRILLED PORK SPRING ROLLS)

Steps:

• Make the Nem NướngMarinate the meat. In a large mixing bowl, mix together 4 tbsp of ice water, 4 tbsp of fish sauce, and 2 ½ tsp baking powder. Add in the ground pork and mix with your hand thoroughly. Place in a large ziplock bag and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Prepare the garlic. Grind the garlic in the food processor until it turns into a paste. Take the garlic out and put it in a separate bowl. Set aside.
• Grind the marinated pork. Fill 1/3 of the food processor with the marinated pork and the pork for 30 seconds until the meat turns into a paste. Remove the meat and continue with the remaining marinated meat until completed.
• Mix in the garlic and roasted rice flour. Gradually mix the garlic and the rice flour with the meat in three different portions. This helps you thoroughly mix in the garlic and the rice flour since the meat will be sticky. Continue mixing until combined.
• Roll the meat into logs. Place about 2 feet sheet of plastic wrap on your work surface. Place one end of the plastic wrap on a kitchen scale. Measure about 0.75 lb of meat on the scale. Then tightly roll the meat in a roll try removing all the air bubbles. When rolling, make sure to leave the two ends of the plastic to wrap like a giant candy. You will need the ends to tighten the meat into a log. Then, twist the ends as tightly as you possibly can then tie the ends with string or a rubber band, and marinate for at least 5 hours or overnight. The tighter you roll and twist the ends the tighter the meat will hold together and be easier for shaping.
• Cook the meat (Option 1 Pan Fry). Smash the meat down to the size of a circle that is 1/2 inch thick and about 5-6 inches in diameter. Cover with a damp paper towel, microwave on each side for 1 minute this will hold the meat together when pan-frying it. On a medium-large skillet, add olive oil and heat to medium-high. Place the meat on the pan and cook for 1 minute on each side or until slightly charred. Vertically, slice the meat into 1 cm slices.
• Cook the meat (Option 2 Grill). On your work surface, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap that is longer than your skewer. Place your meat into a 6-inch rectangle onto the plastic wrap. Place your skewer on top of the meat and then using the plastic wrap, wrap the meat around the skewer pressing tightly to mold the meat. Roll the meat on your work surface to evenly distribute the meat. Preheat your grill to medium heat and generously grease the grill with vegetable oil. Grill the meat for about 15 minutes rotating them every five minutes and brushing the skewers with vegetable oil to prevent them from sticking.
• Wonton Crisp: wrap each wonton wrapper with a stalk of green onion and then seal with vegetable oil. Cook in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can heat your skillet on high, fill the bottom of your skillet with vegetable oil, and when the oil reaches 350-365 F fry the wonton wrappers until brown and crispy about 3-4 minutes.
• Garlic Fish Sauce: in a medium bowl, mix together the fish sauce, minced garlic, lemon juice, sugar, and garlic chili paste.
• How to Assemble the Spring RollDip the rice paper in warm water. In a large bowl, or rice paper bowl pour in warm water around 120 F. Dip the rice paper into the water submerging the entire paper, and then lay it on a plate slightly larger than the rice paper.
• Add your vegetables. Place the lettuce, rau ram, tia to, and cucumber on the edge of the rice paper closest to you leaving about 1-2 inches for you to grab onto.
• Add in the wonton crisp. Place the wonton crisp on top of the vegetables.
• Add in the Nem Nướng slice. Place nem nướng on top of the wonton crisp and vegetables.
• Begin rolling the rice paper. Lift the rice paper on the edge closest to you and make your first fold.
• Fold in the left and right edges of the rice paper to seal the ends and prevent the contents from spilling out.
• Continue tightly rolling the roll upward until no more rice paper remains. Use your hands to tightly roll the spring roll and prevent too much air from entering.