Destination
Hue
The story
Nem lụi is one of the signature dishes of Hue in central Vietnam. Seasoned pork mince (a mix of pork shoulder and pork fat) is pressed by hand into small sausages around split lemongrass stalks or bamboo skewers, then grilled over charcoal until dark caramelised. Served with fresh soft rice papers (bánh tráng), a big plate of fresh Vietnamese herbs and lettuce, sliced green mango or star fruit, cucumber batons, and pickled carrot and daikon. The diner assembles each roll at the table: wet a rice paper briefly, add herbs and vegetables, slide a nem lụi off its skewer onto the roll, wrap tightly, dip in the classical Hue peanut-liver dipping sauce called nước lèo.
Method
Chop pork and pork fat very fine with a heavy knife. In a bowl, combine chopped pork, shallots, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, salt, cornstarch and baking powder. Knead by hand for 3 minutes until sticky and elastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Trim tough tops off lemongrass stalks, leaving 20cm lengths. Bash the base of each stalk with the back of a knife to release aroma. Split the base end lengthways so the pork has something to grip.
Wet your hands. Take a heaped tbsp of pork mixture and press firmly around each lemongrass stalk into a smooth sausage about 10cm long and 3cm thick. Repeat until you have 12 skewers.
Warm oil in a saucepan. Cook shallots, garlic and minced lemongrass 3 minutes. Add chopped pork liver and cook 3 minutes. Add soybean paste and fish sauce; cook 1 minute. Pour in stock. Simmer 15 minutes. Add ground peanuts and sugar; simmer another 5 minutes. Whisk in cornstarch slurry; cook 60 seconds until thickened to a heavy pourable sauce.
Heat a charcoal grill to medium-hot, or use a heavy cast-iron ridged pan on high heat.
Grill nem lụi 8 to 10 minutes total, turning every 2 minutes, until dark caramelised on all sides and cooked through.
Set out rice paper, herbs, lettuce, mango, cucumber and pickle on the table. Provide a shallow bowl of warm water for wetting the rice papers.
Each diner dips a rice paper into warm water for 5 seconds. Lays on a plate. Places a lettuce leaf, herbs, mango, cucumber and pickle in the middle. Slides a nem lụi off the lemongrass stalk onto the fillings. Rolls tightly. Dips into the warm nước lèo sauce and eats in 2 or 3 bites.
Tips
- Split the lemongrass. This is what gives the pork something to grip. Un-split stalks let the meat spin during grilling.
- Hand-chop the pork. Fine mince gives a specific bounce that a food processor cannot match.
- Nước lèo peanut-liver sauce. This is the classical Hue dip. Substituting a plain peanut sauce loses the identity.
- Fresh lemongrass stalks release aroma during grilling. Do not substitute plain bamboo skewers if you can help it.
- Assemble at the table. Half the fun is the wrapping ritual.
More recipes
View all
Grilled pork patties and pork belly slices in a warm, sweet-sour fish sauce broth with pickled papaya, served with cool rice vermicelli and a plate of fresh herbs. Hanoi's lunchtime classic.
Thick chewy rice noodles served warm with shredded pork skin, coconut cream, crushed peanuts and a splash of sweet-sour fish sauce. Mekong Delta's home-style noodle bowl.
Shredded green papaya tossed with beef jerky strips, roasted peanuts, mint and a sharp fish sauce dressing. Hanoi's most-loved late-afternoon street snack.
Thick chewy noodles topped with sliced Chinese-style barbecue pork, crispy croutons, fresh herbs and a small pour of dark spiced broth. Hoi An's signature dish, cooked only with local well water.
Half-moon fried pastries stuffed with pork, wood ear mushroom, glass noodles and quail egg. Hanoi's most-loved cold-weather street snack, dipped in sweet fish sauce.
Crispy turmeric-yellow rice-flour crepes stuffed with pork, prawn, bean sprouts and mung bean, torn into pieces and wrapped in lettuce with fresh herbs and dipping sauce.