Nem nuong, the grilled pork you roll at the table
On this page
Nem nuong arrives as components: pork on skewers, a stack of rice paper, a plate of leaves, a bowl of thick sauce. Assembling it is the meal, and the sauce is the reason a family drives across Nha Trang to one particular shop.
What arrives when you order it?
An order of nem nuong brings skewers of grilled seasoned pork, a stack of soft rice paper, a plate of lettuce, herbs and sliced green banana or star fruit, a few sheets of crisp fried rice paper, and a bowl of thick dipping sauce.
The pork is minced, seasoned with garlic, sugar, pepper and fish sauce, pressed onto skewers and grilled over charcoal. It comes off the coals soft and slightly sweet, with the edges caught.
Nothing on the table is assembled. That is the point of the dish and the reason it takes an hour rather than ten minutes.
| On the table | What it is |
|---|---|
| Nem nuong | Seasoned minced pork, grilled on skewers |
| Banh trang | Soft rice paper for rolling |
| Banh trang chien | A crisp fried sheet, broken into each roll |
| Rau song | Lettuce, perilla, mint, cucumber |
| Chuoi chat, khe | Green banana and star fruit, sliced thin |
| Sauce | Thick, peanut and fermented soybean or liver |
How do you build a roll?
Lay a sheet of rice paper flat, put lettuce and herbs on it, add a piece of pork, a shard of the crisp sheet and two slices of green banana, then roll it tight and dip.
The crisp sheet is what makes the roll work. Without it the texture is soft all the way through, which is why kitchens serve it and why regulars break more of it in than the plate suggests.
Green banana and star fruit are the astringent half. Both are there to cut the fat rather than to add flavour, and skipping them makes the fifth roll harder work than the first.
What is in the sauce?
The sauce is thick, savoury and slightly sweet, built on fermented soybean or pork liver with ground peanuts and stock. It is nothing like the thin nuoc cham served with bun cha or banh xeo.
Every kitchen keeps its own recipe and that is what customers choose between. The fish sauce guide covers the rest of the family this sits outside.
Ask for more. Running out halfway through a set is the normal beginner's error and nobody charges for a refill.
What does a set cost?
A set for one runs 50,000 to 100,000 dong, which is two to four dollars at about 26,000 dong to the US dollar. That feeds one person well and two people lightly.
Extra rice paper and herbs cost a few thousand dong or nothing at all. Beer is the usual accompaniment and adds 20,000 to 30,000 a bottle.
Restaurants in tourist streets charge double for a set that is no better, the gap the cheap eating guide covers.
Where does it come from?
Ninh Hoa, a town about 30 km north of Nha Trang, is the place the dish is named for, and nem nuong Ninh Hoa appears on signs the length of the country. The south-central coast is where it belongs.
Nha Trang itself has the highest concentration of good shops, and the city is where most visitors will meet it. Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang both sell solid versions.
North of Hue it is a transplant. The city-by-city food guide maps which dish belongs where, and this one belongs firmly to the coast south of the pass.
When is it eaten?
Lunch and dinner, and rarely at breakfast. Shops open late morning and run into the evening, which makes nem nuong one of the few Vietnamese specialities that is easy to eat at a normal hour.
Nem nuong works as a shared table rather than a single bowl. A group ordering several sets and rolling for an hour is the standard use, closer to a meal than to street food.
Rolling your own also makes nem nuong a good first Vietnamese meal for children, who generally enjoy building their own — the with kids guide covers what else travels well.
What should you not confuse it with?
Nem chua, which is raw pork cured with rice until it sours, eaten cold with beer. Same first word, different dish, and ordering one expecting the other is a common mistake.
Nem ran, or cha gio in the south, is the fried spring roll, which the spring roll guide covers. Nem nuong is none of these.
The rolled version, nem nuong cuon, is the same dish assembled in the kitchen. Order it if the table work does not appeal, though you lose the part that makes it a meal.
FAQ
What is nem nuong?
Seasoned minced pork shaped onto skewers and grilled over charcoal, served with rice paper, fresh herbs and a thick dipping sauce so that diners roll each mouthful themselves. It belongs to the south-central coast, and Ninh Hoa near Nha Trang is the town most associated with it.
How do you eat nem nuong?
Lay a sheet of rice paper down, add lettuce and herbs, a piece of pork, a strip of crisp fried rice paper and slices of green banana or star fruit, roll it, then dip the roll in the sauce. Every table does this itself; nothing arrives assembled unless you order the rolled version.
What is the sauce served with nem nuong?
A thick, savoury-sweet sauce built on fermented soybean or pork liver and ground peanuts, quite unlike the thin fish sauce served with most Vietnamese grilled dishes. Each kitchen guards its own version and it is the thing regulars choose a place for.
What does nem nuong cost?
About 50,000 to 100,000 dong for a set for one, which at roughly 26,000 dong to the US dollar is two to four dollars. A set feeds one person generously and two people lightly, and extra rice paper or herbs costs almost nothing.
Where is the best nem nuong?
Ninh Hoa, a town about 30 km north of Nha Trang, and Nha Trang itself, where the dish is on most menus. Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang sell good versions, and anything served north of Hue is a transplant rather than a local speciality.
Is nem nuong the same as nem chua?
No. Nem chua is raw pork cured with rice until it ferments and sours, eaten cold as a snack with beer. Nem nuong is fresh seasoned pork cooked over charcoal. The words share a root and the dishes have nothing in common.