Vietnamese Northern-style Spring Rolls (Nem rán)

Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Nem rán) are somewhat different from the Chinese counterpart. First, it is wrapped using Rice Paper Roll (Bánh Tráng) not the wheat wrapper varieties. The rice paper in Vietnam is elastic, making the roll-up very easy. Second, the fillings vary with inclusion of pork mice, prawn meat, crab meat, spring onions, eggs, grass noodles, wooden ears and different vegetables. I grew up with the Northern style – we use julienne carrot and kohlrabi or bean sprout, which give the spring roll the sweetness and freshness of vegies. These lovely rolls are served with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nước Chấm) and lots of fresh herbs on the side – for example lettuce, mint, bean sprouts etc.

I have included below the recipe for Vietnamese Spring Roll. I admit I never measure the exact quantity when making these rolls and the dipping sauce – everything is done by the eye. :P But it is really not hard to get it right…There is a trick to make the skin crispy longer after frying – add a few drops lemon/lime juice or vinegar to the water used to soften the rice wrapper. For the filling, feel free to try different things–e.g. using shredded Chinese cabbage instead of kohlrabi.

Another thing is I do apologise for the poor quality of the photo. I took it a while ago in a rush, and haven’t had time lately to re-make and arrange the dish in a better manner. Hopefully I can get around making it soon.
Vietnamese Northern-style Spring Rolls (Nem rán)

Ingredients

500g mince (pork or chicken)

100g prawn meat, minced

100g crab meat, minced

1 small carrot, peeled and julienne

½ - 2/3 large kohlrabi, peeled and julienne (can substitute with one or two handful of bean sprouts or shredded Chinese cabbage)

1-2 spring onion, sliced thinly

1 small bundle of glass noodles – soaked in warm water for 1 min, then cut into short length

1-2 big wooden ear funguses – soaked in hot water until soft. Slice into thin strips

1 egg

Fish sauce, salt and some sugar and ground white pepper to taste – (I cannot recall the exact measurement)

Oil for deep-frying

Rice Paper to wrap (I normally choose the smallest size)

Fresh herbs on the side (optional) - lettuce, bean sprouts, mint etc.

Directions

1. Mix everything (except the wrapper, of course!) together; let the mixture rest for about 10 mins.
2. To roll: prepare some warm water with a few drops of lemon/lime/vinegar. Dip each wrapper into the warm water until soft but not soggy. Put the filling at the centre of the wrapper, fold two sides. Starting at the bottom, roll up tightly. Be careful not to break the wrapper. Moisten the end edge with a little beaten egg or water if necessary to secure the roll.
3. Heat oil in a large wok or deep-fryer, fry the rolls until golden and cooked. Take care not to burn or under-cook. When deep-frying, do not overheat the oil otherwise the rolls will be burned outside.
4. Serve with Dipping Sauce and fresh herbs like lettuce, bean sprouts, mint etc.

DIPPING SAUCE

As a general rule of thumb, use one part of fish sauce (Vietnamese style preferred) and three parts of filtered water. Slowly add castor sugar, whisk to dissolve. The sugar needed to sweeten the sauce depends on the fish sauce that you use. Then, slowly add vinegar or lemon/lime juice (teaspoon by teaspoon) until you have a balanced sauce – not too salty nor too sweet not too sour. Adjust with more sugar and water if needed. All the tastes should be in balance. Add some minced garlic and a few slice of red chili to finish up.