Vietnamese dishesSnacksCentral Vietnam35 minutes, not counting 2 to 3 hours chilling
Nem nuong is not hard to make at home. The difficulty is keeping the meat from falling off. The appeal is a golden crust carrying the smell of charcoal over a soft, juicy inside. Ground pork that is not tacky enough drops off the skewer as it grills.
Once seasoned, the pork has to be covered and chilled for 2 to 3 hours, which both seasons it and makes it easier to shape. Every 10 minutes, open the oven, brush the glaze over the skewers and turn them.
This batch weighs about 468g, at roughly 274 calories per 100g.
Method
Put 350g ground pork in a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 1 tablespoon minced shallot. Mix thoroughly.
Cover the bowl and chill for 2 to 3 hours so the pork takes on the seasoning and shapes easily.
If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 1 hour first so they do not burn on the grill.
Shape the pork into even portions, oiling your palms as you go so it does not stick. Wrap each one around a lemongrass stalk or a skewer.
Mix the glaze: 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons annatto oil, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 2 teaspoons garlic juice.
Grill over charcoal until cooked through on all sides. In an oven, set the skewers on a rack with a tray of water underneath and bake at 180 degrees C for about 30 minutes.
Every 10 minutes, open the oven, brush the glaze over the skewers and turn them, until they are golden all over.
Arrange on a plate, sprinkle over the remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and serve hot with rice vermicelli, fresh herbs and dipping sauce.
Tips
Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour beforehand so they do not burn on the grill.
In an oven, set a tray of water under the rack so the fat drips into the water rather than smoking.
The honey in the basting mixture is still a sugar, so brush it on thinly for a lighter finish.
Wrapping the pork around lemongrass stalks gives more aroma than bamboo skewers, so pick straight, evenly thick stalks.
Chill the mixture for a full 2 hours so the meat binds and the patties do not fall apart on the grill.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.