There was no other Vietnamese recipe that we could have shared first for our new website.

It is an iconic dish that is known by many names. In Vietnam, it is called “nem rán” in the North, “chả ram” in the Central region, and “chả giò” in the South. In English-speaking countries, it can be called “spring rolls”, “fried spring rolls”, or “egg rolls” – there seems to be perpetual debates about what its English name should be.

To me, it has always been and always will be “nem rán”, since my family is from the North of Vietnam.

But more than just a difference in names, there are so many versions and variations between regions, localities, and even families, that is is more of a concept/method than just a dish. Northern versions are almost always made with rice paper and include kohlrabi, Southern versions can be made with flour wrappers and include taro, coastal regions usually add shrimp and/or crab, and versions from the Vietnamese diaspora contain even more variations depending on their history and local conditions.

My family’s recipe includes: pork, kohlrabi, carrots, wood ear & shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, and miến noodles. Miến noodles can be made from arrowroot or mung bean starch. The thicker and sturdier arrowroot version is better for soups and stirfy dishes, whereas the mung bean version is better for this recipe. This classic Hà Nội recipe is such a comfort food for me, living an ocean away from home. It brings back so many memories of gathering in the kitchen with my mom and grandma – three generations cooking together.

Making nem rán at home always feels like a special event because they take a lot of preparation. We eat them for family get-togethers, special occasions, and always for Tất Niên- the family dinner on the eve of Tết – Vietnamese/Lunar New Year.

Before leaving for university back in 2012, I asked my mom for the recipe and was given quantities to make ONE HUNDRED!! My family rarely ever make nem in small quantities and always as a family. This might have been why I severely underestimated how much time it would take to make spring rolls by myself for the first time back in my first year of college. Living in the dorms, I only had access to a tiny kitchenette the size of a walk-in closet and ended up spending 5 hours making 80-some spring rolls for friends. Of course, they were devoured in mere minutes!

Even if you are not cooking for a party, it’s definitely worth it to make a large batch because prepping the ingredients take a bit of time and they freeze really well. You can either freeze them raw right after rolling, then defrost and fry later; or my preferred method: after frying briefly, which will cut down on the refrying (or air-frying or baking) time whenever you want some. Either way, place the rolls (once they are cooled if fried) on a baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between them, and place in the freezer for at least an hour. After that, you can place them into bags or containers to store in the freezer.

These delicious rolls can be eaten by themselves or with bún noodles to make “Bún nem”, but either way, the dipping sauce is key. I have always made it without a recipe, just eyeballing ingredients and adjusting until it tastes right- but I’m sharing it here now!

INGREDIENTS FOR NEM RÁN

• Ground pork – Thịt heo xay/băm: I like choosing ground pork that is not too lean. The fat is where flavor lives!
• Kohlrabi – Su hào
• Carrot – Cà rốt
• Bean sprouts – Giá đỗ/giá
• Mung bean glass noodles – Miến đậu xanh
• Wood-ear mushrooms – Nấm mộc nhĩ/nấm tai mèo: They don’t bring too much in terms of flavors, but texturally, they are irreplaceable. Crunchy and a bit chewy, wood-ear mushrooms add textural interest, especially to a meaty filling, which is why the trio of wood-ear, shiitake, and minced pork is such a common filling found in many dishes. For recipes with wood-ear mushrooms, click HERE.
• Nấm đông cô / nấm hương – Shiitake mushrooms: These incredibly fragrant mushrooms are a staple in Vietnamese cuisine. Commonly paired with wood-ear mushrooms, this dynamic duo is in more Vietnamese dishes than I can count. For recipes with shiitake mushrooms, click HERE.
• Shallot – Hành khô/hành tím
• Garlic – Tỏi
• Eggs – Trứng
• Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
• Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
• Rice paper – Bánh đa nem/Bánh tráng chả giò/Vỏ ram: In the South and especially in the U.S., you will find chả giò made with flour wrappers (similar to Chinese egg roll wrappers). However, in the North, nem rán is virtually exclusively made with rice paper. Rice paper, while being slightly more difficult to work with for the uninitiated, gives you a thinner crust. When buying rice paper, make sure you check the package and only buy the type specifically made for frying. The package should either say they are for nem rán/chả giò – or have a photo of the fried rolls. If you buy the kind made for gỏi cuốn (Vietnamese salad rolls), they will not fry up well and will be chewy.
  My favorite kind of wrapper, however, comes fro the central region – specifically from Hà Tĩnh. There is a type of rice paper there called vỏ ram, which are incredible thin, can be used to make rolls without being dipped in water, and gives you the most shatteringly crispy rolls when fried. Sadly, they are usually not available outside of Vietnam. If you visit Vietnam, I highly recommend going to a grocery store and trying to find a few packages of vỏ ram Hà Tĩnh to bring back. They store really well in the freezer until you need to use them.
• White granulated sugar – Đường cát trắng
• Rice/white vinegar – Giấm gạo/giấm trắng
• Bird’s eye chilies – Ớt hiểm

DIRECTIONS FOR NEM RÁN

Make the filling

1. Soak dry wood-ear and shiitake mushrooms in boiling water. When fully rehydrated, drain and finely chop.
2. Soak mung bean noodles in room temperature water. Once soft (10 minutes), drain and use scissors to cut into 5 cm lengths.
3. Peel and julienne kohlrabi and carrots.
4. Peel and thinly slice shallots.
5. Add all ingredients for filling into a large mixing bowl or pot and mix with your hands, breaking up the meat so that it can bind everything together. Be gentle, you don’t want to crush the bean sprouts too much.

Rolling

1. If you don’t have a rice paper dipper, fill a large bowl with room temperature water. The bowl should be large enough for you to dip the rice paper in!
2. Get 2 clean plates or cutting boards- this makes things more efficient because you can let one piece of rice paper soften while you roll the other one.
   TIP: grease splash screens are really helpful if you have never worked with rice paper before because they will not stick on those as much as on plates.
3. Dip a sheet of rice paper in the bowl, shake off excess water, put it on a plate, and wait a minute for it to soften. As soon as it is soft, do the same for the other plate and set aside.
4. Add about 70g of filling on the bottom 1/3 of the sheet. Shape it into a log the shape/size that you want your spring roll to be, making sure you leave about 5-7cm on each side.
5. Fold in the two sides tight to the sides of your filling. Make sure the sides are straight and parallel. They should overlap slightly in the middle.
6. Fold the bottom flap up and over your filling.
7. Roll the filling upwards tightly until the end of the sheet, try not to leave space between your filling and the rice paper. You have completed your first roll!
8. Dip another sheet of rice paper in the bowl, put it on your plate and set aside.
9. Move the other plate with the already-softened rice paper sheet in front of you and repeat steps 4-8.
10. You can now choose to fry or freeze them! You can either freeze them raw right after rolling, then defrost and fry later; or my preferred method: after frying briefly, which will cut down on the refrying (or air-frying or baking) time whenever you want some.
    Either way, place the rolls (raw or once they are cooled if fried) on a baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between them, and place in the freezer for at least an hour. After that, you can place them into bags or containers to store in the freezer.

Frying

1. Add enough vegetable oil to a large frying pan so that you have a layer about 2cm deep.
2. Heat on medium until oil is ready. Test by dipping a chopstick or wooden handle of a spatula into the oil- if you see rapid bubbles, it’s ready. The oil should be about 150°C/300°F.
3. Add the rolls- leaving some space in between them so they do not stick together.
4. Fry on medium, rotating rolls every 5 minutes until all sides are golden!
5. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towel or an oil rack to remove extra oil.

Making the dipping sauce

1. Peel and thinly slice carrots (1-2mm).
2. Peel and thinly slice kohlrabi (1-2mm). Cut slices into bite size pieces.
3. Soak carrots and kohlrabi in a bowl of salted water for 15 minutes. Drain.
4. Finely mince the garlic cloves.
5. Finely chop as much chili as you want or skip this entirely if you don’t like spicy.
6. Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a bowl and mix until the sugar has fully dissolved.

Serving

1. If you want to cook vermicelli noodles for bún nem: while the rolls are frying, heat a pot of water to boil, add the noodle and cook according to package instructions until no longer al dente (be careful not to overcook).
2. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool and prevent them from sticking.
3. Let noodles fully drain before dividing them into bowls.
4. Wash lettuce and fresh herbs. Add some in each bowl and put the rest on a shared plate for the table.
5. Divide the dipping sauce into small bowls for each person.
6. Once the spring rolls are cooked, add a couple to each bowl and put the rest on a shared plate for the table.

RECIPE VIDEO