Recipe courtesy of Luke Nguyen
Hanoi Crisp Parcels with Vermicelli Salad: Bun Nem Ran
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 670
- Total Fat
- 12
- Saturated Fat
- 2
- Carbohydrates
- 116
- Dietary Fiber
- 9
- Sugar
- 6
- Protein
- 21
- Cholesterol
- 53
- Sodium
- 808
- Total: 1 hr 26 min
- Prep: 1 hr
- Inactive: 20 min
- Cook: 6 min
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces/ 40 g dried wood ear mushrooms
1 1/2 ounces/ 40 g bean thread vermicelli
1 jicama, peeled and julienned
7 ounces/ 200 g minced pork
7 ounces/ 200 g crabmeat (from fish monger)
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon sugar
Sea salt and ground white pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce
20 (8-inch/ 20 cm diameter) dried round rice paper wrappers
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 large handful perilla leaves
1 large handful fresh mint leaves
1 large handful fresh Vietnamese mint
17 1/2 ounces/ 500 g cooked rice vermicelli
3 tablespoons fried red shallots
3 tablespoons roasted peanuts
1 cup/ 250 ml nuoc cham
Directions
- Put the mushrooms in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain and thinly slice.
- Soak the bean thread vermicelli in water for 20 minutes, then drain and cut into 1 1/2-inch/4 cm lengths.
- Place the sliced jicama in a muslin cloth and squeeze out its juice, then discard.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mushrooms, vermicelli, jicama, pork, crabmeat, onion, sugar, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 2 teaspoons white pepper, and fish sauce.
- Knead the mixture in the bowl for 10 minutes, or until your arms get tired.
- Working with one rice paper at a time, submerge the rice paper in a large pan of warm water, then transfer it to a chopping board or work surface.
- Take 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons of the mixture and place it on the bottom edge of the rice paper. Fold the 2 adjacent sides, one on top of the other, into the center.
- Roll the apex to form a nice firm roll, and secure with a dab of beaten egg white. Repeat until you have filled all the rice papers.
- Pour the oil into a wok and heat to 350 degrees F/ 180 degrees C, or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds.
- Fry the parcels in 3 batches for 6 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisp.
- Evenly distribute the rice vermicelli noodles among 4 to 6 bowls, top with sliced herbs, then cut the parcels into the bowls.
- Pour 2 tablespoons nuoc cham into each bowl and garnish with fried shallots and peanuts.