Delicious Thanh Nem Thinh

Nem thinh is a sophisticated dish, more difficult to make than nem chua. The special thing is that during Tet, nem chua may be lacking, but with nem thinh, almost every family must have a few in the house to treat guests.

Nem thinh, a unique dish of Thanh land

The main ingredients to make this unique spring roll are pork, fragrant roasted rice powder, guava leaves, polyscias fruticosa leaves combined with many other spices such as pepper, garlic, chili... then mix well, wrap in banana leaves and leave for about 2-3 days before using.

According to Mr. Doan Quoc Ky (residing in Quang Xuong district, Thanh Hoa province), he does not remember when Nem Thinh was invented. He only knows that when he was young, on the traditional Tet holiday, he often sat by the fire watching his father wrap Nem. When he grew up, he also learned how to wrap Nem to serve guests during Tet.

"This nem thinh dish is very picky, the most important thing is to choose the ingredients. The pork must be pork belly or shoulder meat that is not too fatty, the meat must be fresh, brought back still warm, the pig skin is fresh and pink, guava leaves and young galangal leaves (not too old and not too young). The meat used to make nem must absolutely not be washed with water, if washed it will ruin the flavor of the nem" said Mr. Ky.

This is a famous Thanh dish, second only to nem chua.

Nem thinh is also a famous dish of Thanh Hoa.

The pork is then sliced ​​into strips, not too thick or too thin, so that when wrapped, the meat will absorb the spices evenly, ensuring the fermentation process. The pork skin is cleaned and also sliced ​​into very thin strips. After slicing the meat, marinate it with salt, fish sauce, MSG and pepper, add minced garlic and mix in the amount depending on taste. Stir well to absorb, then sprinkle in the rice powder and mix in just enough to dry. The rice powder can be made from rice or corn, roasted until fragrant and then ground or pounded into powder. The amount of rice powder mixed in is entirely the feeling and secret of the person making the nem.

Nem thinh is usually wrapped in banana leaves, the choice of banana leaves is also very important. Banana leaves are often chosen to wrap nem are banana seeds or banana king, these are 2 types of banana leaves that are soft, flexible, not crispy and bitter like banana leaves. When cut, the banana leaves will be dried over a fire to wilt to create toughness, then wiped clean, torn into small pieces, just the size of the nem you want to wrap.

The final step is wrapping the spring rolls, the meat will be divided into small pieces to wrap, choose 2-3 pieces of banana leaves, line with a layer of guava leaves and ginseng, put the meat on and wrap tightly, then leave for about 2-3 days (depending on the weather) until the spring rolls are ripe and can be eaten. "In rural and mountainous areas, after being finished, the spring rolls are often tied into strings, then hung in the kitchen. Spring rolls hung near the fire will help the fermentation process faster, the spring rolls will ripen faster" - Mr. Ky shared.

Nem thinh can be eaten when fermented, or can be grilled on the stove.

When the spring rolls are cooked, you can peel them off and enjoy them. Depending on the region, the way to enjoy nem thinh is also different. In some areas of Thanh Hoa, when the spring rolls are cooked, you just need to peel off the banana leaves, put them on a plate and use chopsticks to tear them up. Enjoying it like this, nem thinh will still have the sweetness of the meat, mixed with the fermented sourness, along with spices such as garlic, chili, ginseng... creating an indescribable delicious flavor. To increase the richness, you can dip it in a little fish sauce or chili sauce.

However, in some places, nem thinh is grilled before being eaten. At this time, the nem will be left whole with banana leaves buried in hot ash, with hot coals placed on top to cook until the banana leaves are charred and can be taken out to eat. Enjoying it this way has a very different flavor when the nem is cooked, the pork fat melts out, making the nem become fatty. However, the characteristic sour flavor remains unchanged.

During Tet, instead of having to prepare a feast, there's nothing better than just a few spring rolls and a glass of wine by the fire.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thom-ngon-nem-thinh-xu-thanh-196240210112815934.htm