On every occasion of Tet, nem is the traditional dish that often appears on the table of the Vietnamese people. Nem has many different fillings, from traditional fillings, crab fillings, shiitake mushroom fillings, seafood shrimp fillings… But today we will make nem with traditional fillings!
Ingredients for traditional nem dish
– 600 grams minced pork shoulder
– 200 grams baby shrimp
– 5 grams dried wood ear mushrooms
– 3 grams dried shiitake mushrooms
– A handful of glass noodles
– 1 bean or bean sprouts
– 1 onion
– 1/2 jicama
– 1/2 carrot
– A handful of chive flowers
– 1 bunch of Vietnamese coriander
– 1-2 eggs
– 2-3 dried shallots
Seasonings: fish sauce, salt, seasoning powder, pepper
– Rice paper for wrapping
– Beer for lightly brushing the rice paper to make it crispy
– Cooking oil
How to make delicious and traditional nem for Tet
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients
Soak the wood ear mushrooms and dried shiitake mushrooms, wash them clean, drain and cut into small pieces. Julienne the carrot, jicama, bean, and onion into thin small strips. Soften the glass noodles by soaking them in water, drain and cut into small pieces. Wash the Vietnamese coriander and chive flowers, then chop them finely. Finely chop the dried shallots. Peel and devein the shrimp, then dice them.
Step 2: Mix the filling
Put the minced pork into a pot or bowl, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of soup powder, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of pepper, and mix well. Then add the vegetable mixture and mix. Add the eggs only when you are ready to wrap the filling to prevent the filling from becoming watery.
Step 3: Wrap the nem
Place a sheet of rice paper on a flat surface, use a damp cloth to lightly brush some beer on the rice paper to make it moist, add another half sheet of rice paper to prevent the filling from leaking when frying. Scoop a suitable amount of filling onto the rice paper, add 2-3 diced shrimp on top, and wrap it tightly.
Step 4: Fry the nem
It is recommended to fry the nem twice to make them crispy and delicious. The first time, heat the cooking oil and fry the nem over medium-low heat until the surface becomes firm and about 70-80% cooked, then remove them and place them on absorbent paper to cool. Then divide them into batches and freeze them.
