How to make delicious Nam Dinh nem nắm with authentic flavor

How to Prepare Nam Dinh Nem Nắm

• 1

  How to Prepare Pork Skin

  Before boiling the skin, clean it by rubbing it with 2 teaspoons of coarse salt and 1 teaspoon of vinegar, rub thoroughly and then rinse with cold water.

  You can clean the skin by soaking it in diluted saltwater for 4 hours to eliminate any unpleasant odor.

  Boil the skin for 3 – 4 minutes with a piece of ginger and 2 smashed shallots, do not overboil, or the skin will become mushy.

  After boiling, remove it and soak it in ice water to make the skin crispy. Scrape off any remaining fat and hair before slicing the skin.

  Slice the skin by angling the knife but not cutting all the way through, then flip the sliced skin; this will make the slices smaller and more appetizing.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Prepare the Remaining Ingredients

  Wash the meat thoroughly, remove all sinews and fat, keeping only the lean meat. Boil it until just cooked and still slightly rare, do not overboil. If overcooked, the meat will be dry, and the nem will not stick together when mixed.

  Boil the pork fat until cooked and chop finely.

  Trim the stems of the dong leaves for wrapping the nem.

  Note: The dong leaves used for wrapping the nem should be fresh and green.

  Wash the fig leaves and the coriander leaves, then drain. Remove the stems from the fig leaves, only taking the leaves. For the coriander leaves, use the young leaves.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Prepare the pork

  After briefly boiling, cut the meat into small pieces and then chop finely using the back of the knife.

  Note: do not use the blade of the knife to chop, only use the back of the knife. Because using the blade will make the meat too fine and the nem will not be tasty anymore.

  

  
• 4

  Mixing spices for the meat

  Finely shredded lime leaves, peeled and minced garlic.

  Massage the minced meat and fat with the finely shredded lime leaves, minced garlic, Sa Chau fish sauce, and monosodium glutamate until well combined.

  Next, add the roasted rice flour and mix thoroughly.

  The skin that has been shredded should be massaged separately with fish sauce to soften it before mixing with the meat and fat mixture prepared earlier. Mix the mixture thoroughly.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Packing the Nem nắm

  Pack the meat into a ball. The size of the nem should be the size of a fist, press it tightly with your hand, that’s why the dish is called Nem nắm.

  You can eat it right after packing the meat. If you want to preserve it longer or to give as a gift to friends, you should wrap the nem with dong leaves or banana leaves.

  When wrapping with dong leaves, lay the split leaves down, place a layer of fig leaves and pennywort leaves, then put the nem ball on top, roll it up, and secure it with wrapping string.

  

  

  
• 6

  Final Product

  Nem nắm is flavorful and delicious, with the crispy and chewy texture of the skin. The rich taste of the sung leaves combined with the bitter taste of the đinh lăng leaves, when eaten with nem nắm, will surely go well with beer.