Nem Nướng Cuốn (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Paste Rice Paper Rolls)

These regional Nha Trang version of rice paper rolls feature springy grilled pork paste, fried egg roll skins, and fresh herbs rolled up and served with a vibrant pork peanut dipping sauce.

Why It Works

• Using ground pork that is 20 to 25% fat prevents the meat from drying out when grilled. 
• Baking powder helps the pork paste rise and creates its signature spongy texture during cooking.

The appeal of grilled meat that’s been licked by open flames and charred to perfection is undeniable. Vietnamese love what I affectionately refer to as grilled “meats-on-a-stick.” There’s nem lụi huế (huế lemongrass pork skewers), nem nướng (grilled pork meatballs on a bamboo skewer), and this one, nem nướng cuốn (grilled pork paste rolls), which is lesser known in the US but just as popular as the others in Vietnam. 

Nem nướng cuốn is a specialty of Nha Trang, the capital of Khánh Hòa province, located on Vietnam’s south-central coast. The fresh rice paper rolls are filled with their namesake nem nướng, or grilled pork paste—a ground pork mixture that’s blended until smooth and amplified with garlic and fish sauce—as well as crispy egg roll skins, a medley of herbs, and pepped up with annatto oil and scallion oil before being tightly rolled in a thin rice paper wrapper. What sets the Nha Trang version apart from other regional variations is the bright orange dipping sauce made from a savory mixture of minced pork, peanut butter, and annatto oil. 

Making the Grilled Pork Paste

Let’s deconstruct the makings of great grilled pork paste, which has similarities with forcemeats for sausages. Yes, you could purchase store-bought pork paste for grilling and filling your rolls, but the fresh flavor you can achieve by making it at home is incomparable—the potent flavors of fresh garlic, shallot, fish sauce, and black pepper bursting in every bite.

The process starts with ground pork that is at least 20 to 25 percent fat, enough to ensure a juicy result even after cooking it fully through in the dry heat of a grill. To get a paste-like consistency, I find it easiest to grind the pork in a food processor, which only takes about one minute. It’s necessary to pop it in a freezer at this point to chill it well, since warmth can cause the fat to melt and smear, leading to a grainy result. The risk for this is highest when the paste is paddled in a stand mixer to work in the flavorings and develop the proper bouncy texture of the paste, so working cold is key.

But the pork paste shouldn’t just be bouncy like a sausage, it should also be slightly aerated, almost spongy. To achieve this, I add baking powder to the meat mixture, though in this case not all baking powders are created equal. The best results come from a brand called Alsa, which is a French cake baking powder that does not need liquid to activate. While other brands of baking powder can be used in its place, they will not work as well.

Before cooking, the pork paste mixture is rolled into a sausage shape around a bamboo skewer, then brushed with annatto oil and cooked on a grill until slightly charred, which gives it a wonderful smoky flavor. Alternatively, the pork paste skewers can be baked, but they will of course then lack that distinct char flavor. Besides making a wonderful filling for salad rolls, the grilled pork paste also works well in vermicelli noodle bowls and bánh mì.

Signature Sauce: The Pork and Peanut Dipping Sauce

The dipping sauce that is a hallmark of this version of pork paste rice paper rolls consists of minced pork, shallot, garlic, chicken broth, peanut butter, hoisin sauce, sugar, fish sauce, annatto oil, and cornstarch as a thickening agent. The result is a rich sauce that is complex. I like mine chunky, but feel free to use a food processor to puree it if you prefer a smoother consistency.

Bringing It All Together: How to Eat Nem Nướng Cuốn

Vietnam’s culinary use of rice papers led to one of the country’s most iconic dishes, gỏi cuốn, or salad rolls. Southern Vietnamese refer to salad rolls as fresh spring rolls—in contrast to fried spring rolls, or chả giò—while Northern Vietnamese call fresh rice paper rolls nem cuốn, which is different from the pork paste rolls for this recipe. The naming convention in Vietnam can be confusing, so knowing exactly what to order is essential. These rice paper rolls usually feature rice paper, softened in water and rolled around raw vegetables, fresh herbs, and a protein such as prawns or grilled meat, and then served with a dipping sauce. 

Abundant amounts of fragrant Vietnamese herbs, garlic chives, and fried egg roll skins, along with the grilled pork paste, nestled in rice paper and served with sweet pork peanut dipping sauce, gives these nem nướng cuốn contrasting textures and fresh flavors quintessential to Vietnamese cuisine. 

These pork paste rolls make a great standalone meal for an informal get-together with friends or an appetizer as part of a bigger feast. On weekends, I will sometimes host a wrap-and-roll party where the pork paste is grilled ahead of time and presented on a large platter along with rice papers, fried egg roll skins, fresh herbs, lettuce, pickled vegetables, and the dipping sauce. On the table, you would find communal water-dipping bowls, dinner plates large enough to hold the rice paper for the work surface, and chopsticks to pick up the fillings. The DIY nature of this wrap-and-roll party is fun because everyone can customize the filling to their liking.