Vietnam has a diverse culture and outstanding cuisine with delicious dishes, attracting a lot of tourists. Vietnamese “nem” (spring roll) is such a dish. It is made from popular ingredients with a simple recipe. “Nem” in each region has a distinctive flavor that is associated with geographic, cultural and climatic characteristics of that region. Hanoi’s “nem tai” (pig’s ear spring roll), Hai Phong’s “nem cua be” (crab spring roll), Thanh Hoa’s “nem chua” (fermented pork roll) and Hue’s “nem lui” (grilled pork roll) are unique and distinctive spring rolls of the three regions in Vietnam. They are also typical dishes of Vietnamese cuisine.
“Nem ran” (fried spring roll) is tasty, easy to make and imbued with distinctive flavor of Vietnamese cuisine. Each region has its own “nem” dish with specific taste. Apart from “nem” which are made from pork, crab and seafood, the Northern region has “nem oc” (snail spring rolls). “Nem oc” is made with snails, pork mince, lolots, mugworts, fresh onion and eggs. Southern people call “nem” “cha gio”. There are many kinds of “nem” that are made from differ ingredients like fruits, vegetables, seafood, wontons, etc. Central people roll “nem” with the size of their thumbs, so they call it “cha ram”. Some kinds of “nem” are made with many ingredients; however, based on their main ingredients, Vietnamese people choose suitable culinary herbs to eat with them to make them tastier.
Mrs. Hong’s “nem tai” (pork-ear spring roll) is not only a famous dish among Hanoians, but also seen as a specialty of Hanoi that every visitors to Hanoi wants to try. People eat “nem tai” as an appetizer. “Nem tai” looks like spring roll, so it is called “nem”. Just looking at this dish, we could feel its outstanding flavor. Crunchiness of sliced pork-ears and greasiness of powdered grilled rice and natural pungency of Ming Aralia leaves, marjoram, apricot leaves, perilla and coriander are mixed with one another to create an attractive flavor.
Ve village is located in the suburban district of Tu Liem, Hanoi. In the past, “nem” of Ve village was a well-known specialty and an indispensable dish in feasts of the King. To make this kind of “nem”, people must fresh pork. After cleaning the pork, they remove fat and sciatic nerves to get lean pork then they slice into thin small pieces and finally grind it with a mortar until it becomes glutinous and soft.
Ve villagers season the mince, mix it with young guava leaves and ferment and then wrap it with banana leaves. The mince is kept in banana leaves for about 7-10 days. The villagers have kept their secrets over generations. Over the time, “nem” of Ve village still remains and wins the hearts of many diners.
While almost kinds of “nem” have a long shape, Haiphong “nem cua be” is square. Its filling is made of sea-crab meat, pork, shrimps and eggs. The square “nem” put beside the round bowl of sauce reminds us of the harmony of the earth and the sky. To make delicious “nem cua be”, we should choose ingredients carefully, especially rice sheets and sea-crabs. Besides, we have to pay much attention to seasoning the ingredients, mixing them as well as frying “nem” and making sauce for this dish. The golden crispy “nem”, fresh spicy herbs, white soft rice noodles and sauce with thin slices of green papaya create specific flavor for Haiphong “nem cua be”.
As one of the well-known dishes in Hue, “nem lui” grilled meat spring rollsattracts many “nem lui” (grilled meat spring rolls) attracts many visitors to this land. “Nem lui” is made simply with pork mince, sliced pork skin, sliced fat, salt, pepper, sugar and powdered roasted rice. After mixing these ingredients, people apply them on small bamboo chopsticks then grill them on a charcoal oven. The recipe of the sauce for “nem lui” is unique as well. Hue people make the sauce by their own way. Besides, eaters should eat “nem lui” properly to feel its special flavor. This dish often goes with rice papers, culinary herbs, sour star-shaped fruits and green bananas. They together create perfect taste for “nem lui” of the land of Hue.
Fried “nem oc” is the combination of crunchy snails, pork mince and culinary herbs. Especially, once eating this dish, you will definitely be attracted by the fragrance of snails and lolots. People often eat this dish with spicy herbs and sour sweet sauce. The dish with available ingredients and simple recipe, will make your meal tastier. Like traditional kinds of “nem”, “nem ca” (fish spring rolls) are made with familiar ingredients like vegetables. However, it has its own distinctive flavor.
Source: VTC10 - NETVIET
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