Snack · Vietnamese · 15 min
Nem Chua (Fermented Pork Snack with Bird's-Eye Chili)
- Calories
- 200
- Protein
- 14g
- Carbs
- 23g
- Fat
- 6g
Ingredients
- 50 g Lean ground pork (standard substitute for traditional fermented pork)
- 50 g Cooked white long-grain rice (mashed into the pork for texture)
- 35 g Raw spinach (finely chiffonaded as a fresh bed)
- 32 g Sweet potato, steamed and mashed (for balancing the fermented tang)
- 3.5 g Almonds, slivered (for toasted crunch)
- 5 g Fish sauce and fresh garlic (aromatics)
Method
- 01In a small mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, mashed steamed sweet potato, and cooked rice. Season with a teaspoon of fish sauce, minced fresh garlic, and a heavy pinch of whole black peppercorns.
- 02Knead the mixture thoroughly by hand until it becomes sticky and uniform. Shape the mixture into small, bite-sized cylinders, roughly the size of a thumb, mimicking the traditional Nem Chua form.
- 03If you have time, wrap them in plastic film tightly to compress them and let them rest in a cool place for 30 minutes to firm up.
- 04To serve, arrange the chiffonaded spinach on a small plate. Place the pork bites over the greens, garnished with a slice of bird's-eye chili for heat. Sprinkle with the toasted slivered almonds for a necessary textural contrast. The snack should be cool, savory, and have a slight, pleasant acidity from the fermentation process.
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