Nem Chua (Vietnamese Cured Pork/Beef)

By Vicky Pham

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Defrost the pork skin by rinsing it under hot water, then under very cold water. Squeeze out excess moisture, drain well and let it dry completely.
2. Put the dried skin in a medium bowl and cut it into small pieces with scissors. Toss with the toasted rice powder and set aside.
3. Rinse the pork or beef well and pat dry. Trim off as much fat as you can. Let the meat thaw slightly until you can cut it into small frozen cubes.
4. In a food processor, combine the meat cubes, 6 garlic cloves, half the chilies, the peppercorns, sugar, salt and the whole seasoning mix including the small inner packet. Process into a sticky, smooth paste, scraping down the sides now and then, for about 5 minutes in total.
5. Add the meat paste to the bowl with the pork skin and mix until evenly combined.
6. Spread the mixture in a bag or container into an even layer about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Refrigerate for 24 hours to cure. It will look brown at first and turn bright pink as it cures. It is safe after 24 hours, but the creator prefers 72 hours.
7. Once cured, pop the mixture out of the bag and cut into squares or rectangles. Thinly slice the remaining garlic and chilies.
8. To garnish for immediate eating, top each piece with a thin garlic slice, a piece of chili and a Vietnamese coriander leaf.
9. To store, cut plastic wrap twice the size of each piece. Lay a sheet flat and place a sliver of garlic, a chili slice and a few coriander leaves face down. Set a piece on top and wrap tightly, keeping the bottom side free of wrap so the garnish shows. Refrigerate and eat within 7 days, or freeze for up to 8 months.

Summarized from Vicky Pham's video. Watch it for the details.

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