Nem Nướng Cuon (Grilled Pork Spring Rolls)

These delicious Nem Nướng Cuon or grilled pork spring rolls are packed with vibrant Vietnamese flavors, fresh herbs, and pairs with lime garlic fish sauce. They are pretty simple to make, all you need is a little patience, a food processor, and a trip to your local Vietnamese grocery store and you are ready to go!

When it comes to Vietnamese spring rolls, Nem Nướng spring rolls are at the top of my list (some of my other favorites are BÒ BÍA and GỎI CUỐN). Something about the rich garlic flavors and the delicious texture of the grilled pork just hits different. My memories of Nem Nướng spring rolls are usually in the summer months. My mom would make a large batch of these grilled pork sausages and invite all of my local aunts, uncles, and cousins over to feast. We would all gather around the table and make our individual-sized spring rolls. Then we would poke fun at the new non-Vietnamese boyfriends who did not know how to roll a spring roll. Basically, it was Vietnamese family hazing. I loved it.

Making spring rolls is so easy and delicious that it is a skill everyone should learn. I've included two different methods in the recipe including a pan fry method and an outdoor grill method so there really is no excuse not to make these. Both methods yield equally tasty results so let's get started!

Ingredients For This Recipe

• Pork Shoulder: pork shoulder is a must for nem nướng. When you go to the grocery store and pick out the pork shoulder make sure to have the butcher grind the meat at least 2 times. This will tremendously help you when you are preparing the meat. If you go to a Vietnamese grocery market they won't even question why you are doing it.
• Fish Sauce: fish sauce is the heart of Vietnamese cooking. You cannot have Vietnamese food without fish sauce. The fish sauce is used in the marinade for nem nướng and in the garlic fish sauce dip. I like to use Three Crabs fish sauce or Red Boat Fish Sauce. Both of these can be found at your local Asian grocery store.
• Alsa Baking Powder: Alsa baking powder is a French Cake Baking powder. It is different than regular baking powder in that it is fast rising and does not need liquid to activate. This creates a rise to the pork and creates an almost spongey texture. I do not suggest substituting it with American baking powder if possible. You can find Alsa baking powder online or at your local Asian grocery store.
• Roasted Rice Flour: or Bot Thinh is a light brown rice flour that is unique to this dish it also assists in giving the pork the spongey texture. It is important that you use roasted rice powder and not simply rice flour. You can find roasted rice powder online or in any Vietnamese, Chinese grocery store.

Ingredients To Serve

• Wonton Wrapper: Use Hong Kong-style wrappers. I like to use the regular thicker wrappers for this for a maximum crunch. You can find wonton wrappers at your local Asian grocery store in the refrigerated aisle.
• Green Onion: the green onion is wrapped inside the wonton wrapper giving it a subtle flavor profile. It is optional to include the green onion.
• Granulated Sugar: granulated sugar is used in the garlic fish sauce dip. It sweetens the saltiness of the fish sauce.
• Lemon Juice or Lime Juice: the lemon/lime juice is used in the garlic fish sauce. It brightens and cuts through the intense flavor.
• Garlic Cloves: the garlic cloves are also used in the garlic fish sauce.
• Garlic Chili Paste: I use Huy Fong Chili garlic sauce to add a little kick to the garlic fish sauce dip.
• Rice paper: Vietnamese rice paper (bánh tráng) is a thin flat rice circular sheet that is made with rice, tapioca flour, salt, and water. You can find rice paper online or from the local Asian supermarket. My favorite brand is the Three Ladies but any brand will do. They last forever in the pantry.
• Vermicelli Rice noodles (optional): These are an optional addition to the spring rolls if you'd like to add more filling into your spring rolls. Thin vermicelli rice noodles are a common staple in Vietnamese cuisine. You can find the Three Ladies Brand Rice Noodles online or in your local Asian grocery store.

Fresh Herbs and Vegetables

The herbs and leafy greens are what brightens up this dish. You can always mix and match your herbs based on preference but I have listed out the traditional herbs most commonly used. You can purchase all of these at a Vietnamese grocery market or your local Asian grocery.

• Lettuce
• Mint
• Cucumber
• Vietnamese Coriander (Rau Ram)
• Vietnamese Purple Perilla (Tia To)

How To Make This Recipe

Make the Nem Nướng

1. Marinate the meat. In a large mixing bowl, mix together 4 tablespoon of ice water, 4 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 2 ½ teaspoon 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.
2. 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.
3. Grind the marinated pork. Fill ⅓ 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

Two Options to Cook the Pork

1. Cook the meat (Option 1 Pan Fry). Smash the meat down to the size of a circle that is ½ 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.
2. 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.

Make the Wonton Crisp

1. 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.

Make the Garlic Fish Sauce Dip

1. 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 Roll

1. Dip 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.

2. 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.

3. Add in the wonton crisp. Place the wonton crisp on top of the vegetables.

4. Begin rolling the rice paper. Lift the rice paper on the edge closest to you and make your first fold.

5. Fold in the left and right edges of the rice paper to seal the ends and prevent the contents from spilling out.

6. Add in the Nem Nướng slice. Place nem nướng on top of the partly rolled spring roll.

7. 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.

8. Serve immediately to keep rice paper fresh

Tips For This Recipe

• Nem Nướng requires plenty of time for marinating. Marinating nem nướng requires ideally two separate nights of marinating. So plan ahead! The meat tastes the best when the flavors have marinated together.
• You will need a scale and a food processor. This recipe calls for the pork to be ground to a paste to achieve the correct consistency. You will need a food processor for this. Moreover, to have equal portions you will need a kitchen scale to measure out the pork.
• Have all the ingredients laid out around you before you roll. This helps make the process infinitely times easier.
• To prevent the rolls from breaking, use a limited amount of filling. Layer the filling ingredients in horizontal lines and add more layers from the bottom up. To roll, wrap up your spring roll similar to a burrito: fold in the left and right sides and fold up the bottom flap, and keep rolling in an upwards motion.
• Roll as you eat or wrap in plastic wrap immediately after. The rice paper will dry out and become hard to eat if the roll is not eaten immediately or wrapped in plastic wrap.

Storage Instructions

You can make these Nem Nướng in advance and store them individually wrapped in the meat logs before they are cooked, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, and in the freezer for up to 3 months. If already cooked and rolled into spring rolls, individually wrap the rolls in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Over time, the rice paper will dry out and be hard or very chewy. I recommend eating them as soon as possible when they are rolled.

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Nem Nướng Cuon (Grilled Pork Spring Rolls)

5 from 2 votes

These delicious Nem Nướng Cuon or Grilled pork spring rolls are packed with vibrant Vietnamese flavors, fresh herbs, and pairs with a lime garlic fish sauce. They are pretty simple to make, all you need is a little patience, a food processor, and a trip to your local Vietnamese grocery store and you are ready to go!

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