The road journal · the bite
A nem is eaten hot, with your fingers, wrapped in lettuce and dipped in a clear sauce. Here is the Vietnamese way.
Contents
Before the first bite
Called nem rán in northern Vietnam and chả giò in the south, the nem is a small roll with a minced filling, fried until golden. Its crispness is fragile, so timing matters.
Let a nem rest a minute so it doesn't burn you, then eat it while the wrapper still cracks. Left ten minutes, it turns soft.
The full bite
In Vietnam the nem never travels alone: lettuce, herbs and sauce each play a role.
Hot and fresh, rich and tangy: that balance is the whole point.
It feels odd the first time, then natural by the second roll.
The lettuce works as a glove and a contrast; the herbs balance the frying.
Three ways
The setting changes, the essentials don't: hot, wrapped, dipped.
At street stalls, nems are eaten with the fingers, lettuce as a plate.
Chopsticks are fine: grip the middle, never spear it.
Open the box quickly so steam escapes and the crunch holds.
Hot, wrapped, dipped: the rest is just location.味わう道
Made from fish sauce, water, sugar, lime and garlic, it is thin on purpose. Dip the tip, bite, dip again — never pour it over the nems.
Sauce too strong? Add more herbs and lettuce rather than water.
What to avoid
A few common habits turn a crisp nem soft.
Open the box on arrival to let steam out. Reheat in a hot oven or a dry pan, never the microwave. Keep lettuce and sauce separate.
As a starter, on a bowl of rice vermicelli, or next to wok-fried rice or noodles.
At the Asian Road counter
“Rolled, then fried to golden perfection.”
At 9 rue Laurent Fauchier in central Aix-en-Provence, our nems belong to the Crispy Road: chicken nems and veggie nems.
The full crispy range is on the page our nems in Aix-en-Provence.
FAQ
Further reading
The nem is just one stop on the road. The rest of the journey is in the journal.
Keep on the road
