Chargrilled pork sausage skewers (nem nuong)

These pork skewers are a popular snack in Vietnam. The sausages are packed with flavour and teamed with the freshness of the aromatic herbs - this recipe is a winner. Impress your friends at your next barbecue!

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 12 spring onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced 
• 300 g minced pork 
• 300 g fish paste (from Asian fishmonger) 
• 1 tbsp fish sauce 
• 1 tbsp sugar 
• ½ tsp salt 
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper 
• 125 ml (½ cup) vegetable oil 
• 12 wooden chopsticks, soaked in water for 20 minutes 
• 12 sheets rice paper 
• 1 bunch perilla leaf, picked 
• 1 bunch Vietnamese mint, picked 
• 1 bunch mint, picked 
• 1 cucumber, halved & finely sliced lengthways 
• 3 star fruit, finely sliced 
• ½ bunch garlic chives, sliced into 5 cm lengths

Hoisin dipping sauce

• 125 ml (½ cup) hoisin sauce 
• 1½ tbsp white vinegar 
• 125 ml (½ cup) milk 
• 3 tsp crushed roasted peanuts 
• 1 red chilli, diced

Instructions

To make the hoisin dipping sauce, combine the hoisin sauce and the white vinegar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir through the milk. Continue to stir just before boiling point is reached, then allow to cool. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts and diced chilli. Set aside.

Pound the spring onions and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Using a mortar and pestle, combine pork and fish paste and pound to a fine smooth paste.

In a large mixing bowl combine fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well until the sugar dissolves. Now add pork and fish paste to the seasoning and mix to combine. Knead the paste and pound handfuls of it in the bowl until the paste reaches an elastic consistency.

Form a sausage shape from the paste and form it around two-thirds of a wooden chopstick. Repeat this process with all the paste.

Bring a chargrill or barbecue to medium heat and cook for 8 minutes, turning the chopstick every 2 minutes.

To serve, dip the sheets of rice paper, one at a time, in warm water until softened. Remove the meat from each chopstick and wrap in the rice paper with mixed herbs, cucumber, star fruit and garlic chives. Serve with hoisin dipping sauce.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.