Nem Nuong

I actually made this dish the other day and decided to finally post it. My Vietnamese friends would probably disagree with some of the ingredients or even the techniques that I used to make this. My mom would probably disagree with me too, but I'm stubborn and I like to do things my way. I never knew how much I enjoyed this dish until I wasn't living at home anymore. I used to always request my mom to make it whenever I came back in town and it hit the spot every time. As my culinary knowledge grew I decided to try to make the homemade classics myself and this was one of the first ones I tried to recreate. I remember asking my mom for the recipe to her sauce but every time I asked she would just tell me to observe and by the time she was halfway done it was too late for me to even comprehend what she was doing. So this sauce I have listed below is my interpretation of the Nem Nuong dipping sauce.


Nem Nuong:

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground pork
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 table spoon hoison sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together well, do not over work the meat.
Create balls approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inch diameter.
Place meatballs onto cooking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Cook meatballs in oven for 12-15 minutes or until meatballs turn dark brown.

Wrapping ingredients:

Romain lettuce
Rice paper
Vermicelli noodles
Green apples
Cilantro
Scallions
Plantains
Cherry tomatoes
Various mints and herbs will also work

Dipping sauce:

3 teaspoons chili oil
3 large garlic cloves
1 medium shallot
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 hoison sauce
1/4 cup light soy sauce
3 tablespoons tamarind paste (reconstituted)
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup boiled sticky rice (1/8 cup actual grains)

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