Nems, or chả giò, are an incredibly popular and delicious appetizer. If you eat at Vietnamese restaurants, you’ve probably already tried these crispy little wonders. After reading this article, you’ll be able to make them yourself at home!
Nems, or chả giò: what are they?
Nems are fried spring rolls made by wrapping a savory filling in translucent rice paper (bánh tráng), then deep-frying until crisp. The filling usually includes ground pork, vegetables, wood ear mushrooms, and “glass noodles”. Note: nems should not be confused with fresh spring rolls
They are often served wrapped in lettuce and fresh herbs, with nuoc cham (also called “nem sauce”) for dipping.
I recommend mint, Thai basil, and cilantro, but feel free to experiment. Served this way, the crispy, savory nems contrast beautifully with the cool crunch of lettuce and fragrant fresh herbs.
The salty, sweet, and tangy nuoc cham ties everything together! (click here for my Nuoc Cham recipe) In my opinion, a big platter of nems is the ultimate yin-yang Vietnamese culinary experience.
Vietnamese tip: Add a little mẻ to your nuoc cham for even more authenticity
Another way to serve nems is to cut each one into bite-sized pieces and add them to a Vietnamese noodle salad, using nuoc cham as the dressing. It’s one of my favorite summer meals.
The different kinds of nems
In this section, I’ll give you a quick overview of the different kinds of nems out there. But let’s be very clear: you can put WHATEVER YOU WANT in nems. Seriously, there are hundreds of varieties—even banana ones, haha.
BUUUT it’s still worth making a distinction, so we’ll look at the styles from northern, central, and southern Vietnam. In my opinion, it’s pretty useful to have a guide to the different flavor combinations.
After this section, I’ll answer a few common questions, then we’ll finish with a proper nems recipe.
Complete Guide to the Types of Nems
| Ingredient | Northern Vietnamese nems | Central Vietnamese nems | Southern Vietnamese nems |
|---|---|---|---|
| “nem rán” | “chả ram”, “chả cuốn” or “cuốn ram” | “chả giò” or “nem Sài Gòn” | |
| 🦀 Crab | |||
| 🦐 Shrimp | |||
| 🐔 Chicken | marcwiner.com | ||
| 🐷 Pork | |||
| 🥕 Carrot | |||
| 🥒 Chayote | marcwiner.com | ||
| 🍄 Wood ear mushrooms | |||
| 🥔 Turnip | marcwiner.com | ||
| 🥚 Egg | Optional | Optional | |
| 🧅 Onion | |||
| 🍠 Taro | |||
| 🍜 Rice vermicelli |
Tips for perfect homemade nems
Why do my nems burst?
There are several possible reasons:
- The rice papers or the filling are too wet
- There was thermal shock because the oil was too hot. Be careful!
- The nems were rolled too tightly. Cooking causes the ingredients to expand and also releases gas and steam, which can increase the pressure inside the nems
- If the nems are not rolled tightly enough, they may not withstand the pressure inside and can split open
Can I bake my nems in the oven?
Yes and no. I recommend at least doing the first fry, then brushing them with a very small amount of oil before baking. In all honesty, though, it’s far from the ideal method
My nems stick together while cooking
If the nems stick to each other during cooking, above all, don’t try to separate them or touch them. They will come apart on their own
Should the filling be cooked beforehand?
No! That would make the nems dry. The filling will cook during frying
Do I have to use pork?
No. In that case, try my chicken nems recipe or my shrimp nems
How do you freeze and reheat nems?
Ideally, freeze them after the first fry. To reheat, place them straight from frozen into the fryer basket at 190°C until nicely golden, about 5–6 minutes
Our members have talent
Here are a few versions of the recipe made by members of the site’s official group
Equipment
Ingredients
For the nems
- 50 g rice vermicelli (or mung bean noodles) dry weight
- 450 g ground pork ideally 30% fat
- 190 g carrots grated
- 30 g wood ear mushrooms sliced, rehydrated weight
- 30 g shallots sliced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
For frying
- 1 L vegetable oil neutral oil, such as sunflower or corn oil, for frying
For folding the nems
- 250 ml warm water
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 20 dried rice paper wrappers (bánh tráng)
To serve
- Lettuce, Thai basil, cilantro
- Nước chấm dipping sauce
Instructions
Filling
- Soak the vermicelli in warm water, making sure it is fully submerged, for 30 minutes. Drain well, then cut into 0.5cm pieces.50 g rice vermicelli (or mung bean noodles)
- Rehydrate the wood ear mushrooms, weigh out 30g, and slice them. Freeze the rest—you can never have too many nems.30 g wood ear mushrooms
- In a large bowl, combine the vermicelli, ground pork, grated carrot, wood ear mushrooms, shallots, garlic, egg white, ginger, fish sauce, vegetable oil, salt, white pepper, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.450 g ground pork, 190 g carrots, 30 g shallots, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil, 0.5 teaspoon salt, 1 pinch white pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar
Folding the nems
- In a large shallow bowl or deep plate, dissolve the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar in 1 glass of warm water. The sugar is optional, but it helps the nems brown as they fry.250 ml warm water, 2 teaspoons sugar
- To wrap each roll, dip a rice paper wrapper in the sugared water for about 5 to 10 seconds, making sure it is fully submerged. Remove it from the water. It will still feel fairly firm, but it will soften quickly.20 dried rice paper wrappers (bánh tráng)
- Place about 40 g of filling in a log shape on one side of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper tightly over the filling (no air bubbles!) and roll the nem forward one full turn. Press lightly on each end of the filling to flatten the rice paper and push the filling together, removing any air pockets.
- Fold one side of the wrapper toward the center of the nem. Repeat with the other side. Roll the nem forward, tucking it tightly as you go to prevent air pockets. The rice paper will stick to itself; nothing else is needed to seal it.
- Place the uncooked nems on a plate or tray lined with a clean, dry kitchen towel or parchment paper.
Chilling
- Once folded, transfer the nems to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour so they can dry and firm up. This step helps minimize bubbling in the rice paper during frying, though a little bubbling is normal.
- Remove them from the fridge 15 minutes before frying.
Cooking the nems
- Heat the frying oil in a medium saucepan to 170 °C; the oil should come a little more than halfway up the sides. Fry the nems in small batches, about three at a time. Make sure they do not touch immediately after you place them in the oil, as the wrappers will be sticky until a crust forms. If they stick, do not pull them apart by hand. Be patient—they will separate on their own as they cook.1 L vegetable oil
- Cook each batch for 5 to 6 minutes, or until lightly golden. Frying them in small batches helps keep them from sticking together.
- Use a metal skimmer to lift them out of the oil. Drain on a wire rack and continue frying the remaining batches. Maintain the oil temperature by adjusting the heat as needed.
- Just before serving, fry the nems a second time (yes, they need to be fried twice) at 175°C for 1.5 to 2 minutes, or a little longer, until golden and crisp. Double frying is very, very important!
- Serve with fresh lettuce, cilantro, Thai basil, mint, and nước chấm for dipping.Lettuce, Thai basil, cilantro, Nước chấm dipping sauce
