{"id":132679,"title":"The Ultimate Guide to Making Vietnamese Nems (Ch\u1ea3 Gi\u00f2 – Nem R\u00e1n – \u70b8\u6625\u5377)","modified":"2026-06-13T11:20:44+02:00","plain":"Nems, or ch\u1ea3 gi\u00f2, are an incredibly popular and delicious appetizer. If you eat at Vietnamese restaurants, you\u2019ve probably already tried these crispy little wonders. After reading this article, you\u2019ll be able to make them yourself at home!\n\n\n\nNems, or ch\u1ea3 gi\u00f2: what are they?\n\n\n\nNems are fried spring rolls made by wrapping a savory filling in translucent rice paper (b\u00e1nh tr\u00e1ng), then deep-frying until crisp. The filling usually includes ground pork, vegetables, wood ear mushrooms, and \u201cglass noodles\u201d. Note: nems should not be confused with fresh spring rolls\n\n\n\nThey are often served wrapped in lettuce and fresh herbs, with nuoc cham (also called \u201cnem sauce\u201d) for dipping.\n\n\n\nPhoto: Eric Martin, from the official group\n\n\n\nI 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.\n\n\n\nThe 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.\n\n\n\nVietnamese tip: Add a little m\u1ebb to your nuoc cham for even more authenticity\n\n\n\nAnother 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\u2019s one of my favorite summer meals.\n\n\n\nA gorgeous bo bun posted in the site\u2019s official group by Juju Gold\n\n\n\nThe different kinds of nems\n\n\n\nIn this section, I\u2019ll give you a quick overview of the different kinds of nems out there. But let\u2019s be very clear: you can put WHATEVER YOU WANT in nems. Seriously, there are hundreds of varieties\u2014even banana ones, haha. \n\n\n\nBUUUT it\u2019s still worth making a distinction, so we\u2019ll look at the styles from northern, central, and southern Vietnam. In my opinion, it\u2019s pretty useful to have a guide to the different flavor combinations.\n\n\n\nAfter this section, I\u2019ll answer a few common questions, then we\u2019ll finish with a proper nems recipe.\n\n\n\n\n \n\n Complete Guide to the Types of Nems\n\n \n \n \n \n Ingredient\n Northern Vietnamese nems\n Central Vietnamese nems\n Southern Vietnamese nems\n \n \n \u201cnem r\u00e1n\u201d\n \u201cch\u1ea3 ram\u201d, \u201cch\u1ea3 cu\u1ed1n\u201d or \u201ccu\u1ed1n ram\u201d\n \u201cch\u1ea3 gi\u00f2\u201d or \u201cnem S\u00e0i G\u00f2n\u201d\n \n \n \n \n \ud83e\udd80 Crab\n \u2713\n \n \u2713\n \n \n \ud83e\udd90 Shrimp\n \u2713\n \n \u2713\n \n \n \ud83d\udc14 Chicken\n \u2713\n marcwiner.com\n \n \n \n \ud83d\udc37 Pork\n \u2713\n \u2713\n \u2713\n \n \n \ud83e\udd55 Carrot\n \u2713\n \u2713\n \u2713\n \n \n \ud83e\udd52 Chayote\n marcwiner.com\n \n \u2713\n \n \n \ud83c\udf44 Wood ear mushrooms\n \u2713\n \u2713\n \u2713\n \n \n \ud83e\udd54 Turnip\n \n \u2713\n marcwiner.com\n \n \n \ud83e\udd5a Egg\n \u2713\n Optional\n Optional\n \n \n \ud83e\uddc5 Onion\n \u2713\n \u2713\n \u2713\n \n \n \ud83c\udf60 Taro\n \n \n \u2713\n \n \n \ud83c\udf5c Rice vermicelli\n \u2713\n \u2713\n \u2713\n \n \n \n \n\n \n marcwiner.com, all rights reserved\n \n\n\n\n\nTips for perfect homemade nems\n\n\n\nWhy do my nems burst?\n\n\n\nThere are several possible reasons:\n\n\n\n\nThe rice papers or the filling are too wet\n\n\n\nThere was thermal shock because the oil was too hot. Be careful!\n\n\n\nThe 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\n\n\n\n\n\nIf the nems are not rolled tightly enough, they may not withstand the pressure inside and can split open \n\n\n\n\nThanks to Muriel Houyez from the official group for the photo\n\n\n\nCan I bake my nems in the oven?\n\n\n\nYes 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\u2019s far from the ideal method\n\n\n\nMy nems stick together while cooking\n\n\n\nIf the nems stick to each other during cooking, above all, don\u2019t try to separate them or touch them. They will come apart on their own\n\n\n\nShould the filling be cooked beforehand?\n\n\n\nNo! That would make the nems dry. The filling will cook during frying\n\n\n\nDo I have to use pork?\n\n\n\nNo. In that case, try my chicken nems recipe or my shrimp nems\n\n\n\nHow do you freeze and reheat nems?\n\n\n\nIdeally, freeze them after the first fry. To reheat, place them straight from frozen into the fryer basket at 190\u00b0C until nicely golden, about 5\u20136 minutes\n\n\n\nOur members have talent\n\n\n\nHere are a few versions of the recipe made by members of the site\u2019s official group\n\n\n\nBy G\u00e9rard\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Ma Rine\n\n\n\nBy Isabelle\n\n\n\nBy Sabadelle\n\n\n\nBy Sabadelle\n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic Vietnamese Nems - \u70b8\u6625\u5377\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tFriteuse asiatique\t\n\t\n\t\tFor the nems50 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 white1 tablespoon fish sauce1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil0.5 teaspoon salt1 pinch white pepper1 teaspoon sugarFor frying1 L vegetable oil (neutral oil, such as sunflower or corn oil, for frying)For folding the nems250 ml warm water2 teaspoons sugar20 dried rice paper wrappers (b\u00e1nh tr\u00e1ng)To serveLettuce, Thai basil, cilantroN\u01b0\u1edbc ch\u1ea5m dipping sauce\t\n\t\n\t\tFillingSoak the vermicelli in warm water, making sure it is fully submerged, for 30 minutes. Drain well, then cut into 0.5cm pieces.Rehydrate the wood ear mushrooms, weigh out 30g, and slice them. Freeze the rest\u2014you can never have too many nems.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.Folding the nemsIn 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.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.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.ChillingOnce 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 nemsHeat the frying oil in a medium saucepan to 170 \u00b0C; 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\u2014they will separate on their own as they cook.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\u00b0C 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 n\u01b0\u1edbc ch\u1ea5m for dipping.\t\n\t\n\t\tThis recipe makes 20 nems; I allow about 2 nems per person. You will have about 800 g of filling in total, so each of your 20 nems should contain about 40 g of filling.\nIf the nems stick together while frying, do not try to separate them or touch them. They will come apart on their own.\nThanks to Andre Souppaya, a member of the site\u2019s official Facebook group, for the ultra-fast nem folding technique video.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tEntr\u00e9e, Plat principalVietnamiennecuisine vietnamienne, nems, rouleaux de printemps frits","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}