Name: Nem lụi Huế (grilled lemongrass pork skewers)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 115 min
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 600 g ground pork, about 20% fat; 12 thick lemongrass stalks, trimmed to about 20 cm; reserve tender cores; 20 g tender lemongrass core, finely minced; 25 g shallot, finely minced; 15 g garlic, finely minced; 30 ml fish sauce; 20 g sugar; 2 g ground black pepper; 15 g cornstarch; 15 ml neutral oil, for shaping and grilling; 100 g pork liver, trimmed and diced; 20 g shallot, minced; 10 g garlic, minced; 15 ml neutral oil; 300 ml low-sodium pork stock or water; 60 g unsweetened smooth peanut butter; 20 g fermented soybean paste; 50 g cooked glutinous rice; 10 g toasted sesame seeds; 10 ml fish sauce; 10 g sugar; 12 round rice-paper sheets, about 22 cm; 120 g green-leaf lettuce, washed and dried; 60 g mixed fresh Vietnamese herbs, washed and dried; 100 g cucumber, cut into batons; 100 g green banana, peeled and cut into thin batons; 120 g ripe pineapple, cut into batons; 100 g bean sprouts, rinsed and drained; 15 ml lime juice

Huế nem lụi pork skewers wrapped around lemongrass, with rice paper, lettuce, Vietnamese herbs, cucumber, green banana, pineapple, bean sprouts and a bowl of peanut-liver nước lèo — Huế-style lemongrass pork skewers with fresh wrap fillings and a rich peanut-liver dipping sauce.

Yield 12 skewers, 4 servings

Cook time 30 minutes

Passive time 45 minutes

Total time 115 minutes

Calories About 850 kcal per serving

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Nem lụi Huế (grilled lemongrass pork skewers)

Nem lụi is a familiar grilled dish from Huế. Seasoned ground pork is worked into a springy paste and moulded around lemongrass stalks, which perfume the meat as it grills and serve as handles. At the table, the hot pork is slipped from the stalk, wrapped in rice paper with herbs and fresh vegetables, and dipped in a thick sauce.

This version uses nước lèo, a rich Huế-style dip made with pork liver, peanuts, fermented soybean paste, sesame and cooked sticky rice for body. Sauces and wrap fillings vary by cook; green banana, pineapple, herbs, cucumber and bean sprouts are a practical, balanced selection. The pork mixture is chilled before shaping so it grips the stalks, then cooked until a thermometer confirms a safe temperature.

Practical

Keys to successBeat the cold pork mixture until tacky so it holds together on the lemongrass. Bruise the lemongrass stalks before shaping to release their aroma. Mould the meat in an even layer about 2 cm thick so it cooks evenly. Check the thickest part of each skewer for 71°C; grill marks alone do not confirm doneness.

Ingredients

Pork and lemongrass skewers

600 g ground pork, about 20% fat
12 thick lemongrass stalks, trimmed to about 20 cm; reserve tender cores
20 g tender lemongrass core, finely minced
25 g shallot, finely minced
15 g garlic, finely minced
30 ml fish sauce
20 g sugar
2 g ground black pepper
15 g cornstarch
15 ml neutral oil, for shaping and grilling

Liver-and-peanut nước lèo

100 g pork liver, trimmed and diced
20 g shallot, minced
10 g garlic, minced
15 ml neutral oil
300 ml low-sodium pork stock or water
60 g unsweetened smooth peanut butter
20 g fermented soybean paste
50 g cooked glutinous rice
10 g toasted sesame seeds
10 ml fish sauce
10 g sugar

Rice-paper wraps and fresh accompaniments

12 round rice-paper sheets, about 22 cm
120 g green-leaf lettuce, washed and dried
60 g mixed fresh Vietnamese herbs, washed and dried
100 g cucumber, cut into batons
100 g green banana, peeled and cut into thin batons
120 g ripe pineapple, cut into batons
100 g bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
15 ml lime juice

Method

Combine the ground pork, minced lemongrass core, 25 g shallot, 15 g garlic, fish sauce, 20 g sugar, pepper and cornstarch. Beat the mixture against the bowl until tacky and cohesive. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
For the nước lèo, heat 15 ml oil in a saucepan. Cook the 20 g shallot and 10 g garlic until fragrant. Add the diced pork liver and brown briefly, then pour in the stock. Simmer until the centre of the liver reaches 71°C on a clean thermometer. Add the fermented soybean paste and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend with the peanut butter, cooked glutinous rice, sesame, fish sauce and 10 g sugar until smooth. Return to the pan and simmer gently until thick enough to coat a spoon; keep hot.
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Lightly bruise the lemongrass stalks. With oiled hands, divide the pork into 12 equal portions and mould each around the thicker end of a stalk in an even layer about 2 cm thick. Leave the handle end uncovered.
Brush the grill with the remaining neutral oil as needed. Grill the skewers, turning to brown all sides, until the thickest centre reaches 71°C. Browning alone is not a doneness check. Rest the skewers for 3 minutes on a clean plate.
Arrange the lettuce, herbs, cucumber, green banana, pineapple and bean sprouts on a clean platter. Toss the green banana lightly with lime juice to slow browning. Set out the rice paper and a shallow dish of clean warm water.
Bring the skewers to the table hot with the warm nước lèo. Briefly soften one rice-paper sheet in water, add lettuce, herbs, vegetables and pork slid from a lemongrass stalk, roll snugly and dip in the sauce. Assemble each roll just before eating.

Practical

Practical tips

If lemongrass stalks are too thin to hold the paste, use two stalks together or use flat bamboo skewers and add a little extra minced lemongrass. A grill pan works indoors; let the pork brown well on all sides while still checking the centre temperature. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat and stir often so it does not catch.

Troubleshooting

The pork paste slips off: it may not have been beaten until tacky, or the stalks were not bruised. Chill the mixture and shape it firmly around the thicker end. The skewers are dry: the pork may be too lean or cooked too long. Use ground pork with about 20% fat and remove the skewers as soon as they reach 71°C. The sauce is too thick: whisk in warm stock or water a tablespoon at a time until it coats a spoon but still dips easily.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use bamboo skewers instead of lemongrass? Yes. Flat bamboo skewers are a practical substitute when the stalks are too thin, but they will not perfume the pork from the inside. Add a little extra minced lemongrass to the mixture. Can I make the nước lèo ahead? Yes. Cook the sauce, cool it promptly in a shallow container and refrigerate it separately. Reheat it once until steaming and at least 74°C throughout, stirring as it warms. How do I wrap the skewers? Soften one rice-paper sheet briefly, add lettuce, herbs and a few vegetable batons, slide the pork off its stalk and roll it snugly. Dip the roll in the warm sauce.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

Serving size3 skewers, 3 rice-paper sheets, vegetables, herbs and one quarter of the sauce
Calories850 kcal
Carbohydrate50 g
Protein40 g
Fat55 g
Fibre6 g
Sodium1,500 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains pork (ground pork and liver), peanuts, soy (fermented soybean paste), sesame and fish (fish sauce). Check rice-paper and packaged-condiment labels for additional allergens and cross-contact warnings. Keep raw pork and liver separate from ready-to-eat vegetables; wash hands, boards and utensils after contact. Cook ground pork to 71°C throughout and check the thickest part of the skewer with a clean thermometer. Cook the liver to 71°C before blending it into the sauce. Refrigerate pork, sauce and cut vegetables within 2 hours at or below 4°C and store separately. Reheat pork and sauce once to 74°C throughout; use leftovers within 3 days. Do not save softened rice-paper rolls.

How to serve

Keep the rice-paper sheets covered so they do not dry out before wrapping.
Put extra sauce in a small bowl for dipping each bite.

Nem lụi Huế (grilled lemongrass pork skewers)

Practical

Ingredients

Pork and lemongrass skewers

Liver-and-peanut nước lèo

Rice-paper wraps and fresh accompaniments

Method

Practical

Practical tips

Troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

Allergens and food safety

How to serve

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