P3 Nem Nướng: Binh Dinh and Ninh Hoa

Binh Dinh’s grilled pork roll was a revelation. Khanh Hoa’s Nem Nướng was a marvel.

Bánh Cuốn Tây Sơn 

If you’re bored of the same old nem nướng, you could spice up your life with Binh Dinh’s version. It’s not just a dish, it’s a drama. It bursts onto the scene like a mysterious stranger who suddenly appears in the spotlight, winks at you, smiles seductively, and says in a voice that makes your heart melt: “I’m here!”. And you can’t resist saying: “Take me now!”.

The name of this nem nướng version is also very intriguing: bánh cuốn Tây Sơn!

Tây Sơn is a district located in the southwest of Binh Dinh province. This is the hometown of Emperor Quang Trung – a young hero who was good at both military and politics, implementing many progressive reforms for Vietnam in the 18th century. Local legend has it that these Tây Sơn rolls were once used as one of the foods for his army in their lightning attack that defeated the Nguyen army during Tet holiday in 1789. So not only are they delicious, they’re also patriotic. What more could you ask for?

Back in the old days, the folks from Tay Son had a clever way of using up their leftover rice. They wrapped it in two sheets of rice paper and ate it as a snack while working in the fields. 

But when they came back from fancy events like weddings and anniversaries, they would bring home their upgraded rolls with some grilled meat, veggies, eggs, fermented meat, sausages and the star of the show: chả ram tôm đất (greasyback shrimp rolls). Chả ram tôm đất is a delectable spring roll filled with succulent shrimp and aromatic scallion. The shrimp and scallion should be freshly caught and harvested at their peak of flavor and texture to ensure their quality and taste.

The Binhdinhnese humorously call these generous rolls “two live one ripe” because they feature two raw rice papers and one fried one (chả ram). It sounds like a catchy slogan for a dating app, right? 

When I heard the phrase “two live one ripe”, I felt a jolt of recognition. Where have I heard something like that before? Oh, right! Nghe An has a dish called “two wet, one dry” – two sheets of steamed rice paper (those round cakes that are made by steaming rice flour mixture on a pot of boiling water) hugging a crispy roasted one. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it’s actually delicious.

And what about ram wrapped in rice paper? Ha Tinh has a special dish called ram bánh mướt (ram is wrapped in steamed rice paper). That’s a unique way of eating ram you won’t find anywhere else in Vietnam. 

Let’s get back to Bánh Cuốn Tây Sơn. 

The dipping sauce is the key to this dish. It’s made of chili, garlic, fish sauce, lemon, sugar, and most importantly, roasted peanuts that are ground to perfection. The sauce is thick enough to coat the rolls, and its flavors are more intense than the Quang – Hue nước lèo. It’s a sauce that will make you lick your fingers and ask for more. And maybe even a napkin.

The Nghe – Tinh region has a sauce that has been around for ages. It’s called chẻo, and it’s made from fish sauce, molasses, chili, garlic and crushed peanuts. But each province has its own twist. Nghe An adds lemongrass and Ha Tinh adds galangal. Chẻo is great with sticky rice, raw veggies or fresh bamboo shoots. 

As I thought about chẻo and the dipping sauce of Bánh Cuốn Tây Sơn, I had a weird feeling. It was like seeing two people who look oddly alike in their eyes or smiles. Maybe they are long-lost relatives or something. 

In fact, Binh Dinh has a close connection with Nghe – Tinh, which is reflected in its cuisine. After King Le Thanh Tong of Dai Viet conquered Champa in 1471, he took over Do Ban citadel and set up Hoai Nhon province (now Binh Dinh). Most of the Vietnamese pioneers who made their home there came from Nghe An and Ha Tinh, two provinces in the Nghe – Tinh region. They brought their distinctive culture and cuisine with them, which influenced the local dishes and flavors. 

So it seems that genetics are not just for biology, but also for culture and cuisine. You can’t escape your DNA, especially when it comes to food. Binh Dinh folks wrap ram in rice paper like Ha Tinh people do, and then name it the same pattern as Nghe An people. Then they use chẻo sauce for their rolls, only leaving out lemongrass, turmeric and molasses to make it subtle. 

Bánh cuốn Tây Sơn is more than just a dish. It is a delicious expression of Binh Dinh’s culture and history. By preserving the old methods and adapting them to modern tastes, it has become a culinary heritage that you can’t miss.

Nem nướng Ninh Hòa 

There is a common nem nướng recipe in four provinces along the South Central Coast (Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan). The star of this recipe is nem nướng Ninh Hoa.

Located in the north of Khanh Hoa province, Ninh Hoa town is famous for its many tasty dishes. This reputation is due to not only the cooking flair of the Ninh Hoa people but also high quality raw materials. 

For example, the pigs growing here are superb. A local saying goes: “Hon Heo has the best rattan, Đat Đo (red soil, which means Ninh Hoa) has the best pigs”. Ninh Hoa folks use the pig’s lean meat to make nem chua (fermented pork meat) and chả lụa (steamed minced pork), and fatty meat to make the patties for nem nướng. These dishes have been renowned for generations, thanks to their clever use of local ingredients and traditional techniques.

You know the old saying, “Curiosity kills the cat.” Well, I’m still alive and kicking, but I nearly killed myself drilling my friends to dig up their Ninh Hòa elders’ memories of nem nướng Ninh Hòa in the past.

The story unfolded like a jigsaw puzzle that I had to piece together from different people’s recollections. Finally, when I got the full picture, I was blown away by what I had uncovered.

It turns out that in the 1960s, Ninh Hoa people didn’t call the dish nem nướng. They called it chả cuốn. Ram was not just a crunchy roll with no fillings, but had a shrimp and a white scallion bulb tucked inside. 

The dipping sauce was made from glutinous rice porridge, blended with minced tomatoes and garlic, salt and sugar, and colored with annatto seeds to make it bright orange. There were no peanuts or sesame seeds in the sauce. The crushed peanuts that we see on the sauce today were a later addition.

Once again, my curiosity was on fire. The name “chả cuốn” reminded me of bánh cuốn Tây Sơn from Binh Dinh. Ram with shrimp and scallion looked like chả ram tôm đất from Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh. I am sure immigrants from Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh had put their stamp on Ninh Hoa’s culinary scene. 

Then, somehow, the shrimp and scallions were gone, and ram was reduced to a deep-fried rice paper roll. Yet Ninh Hoa’s ram is not flavorless but delicately sweet and fragrant.

Grilled pork patties and ram complement each other perfectly, even though they’re like night and day. One is round and meaty and golden brown, the other is flat and skinny and blonde. But trust me, they’re a match made in heaven. The complete roll having the two of them and others is tender, juicy, chewy, and crunchy. Ram adds a crispy contrast and a burst of flavor. The nem nướng roll is now a feast for all your senses, and your hands are welcome too.

Nem nướng Ninh Hòa is as traditional and creative as Binh Dinh’s version, unfortunately it doesn’t have a famous historical event to date it back. No history but it has fame instead. Nem nướng Ninh Hoa is now well-known all over Vietnam and was listed as one of the Top 100 typical Vietnamese dishes by the Vietnam Record Organization in 2017.

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Our journey with nem nướng is still going strong. Stay tuned for next week’s episode and get ready to be surprised.