Da Nang style rice vermicelli with mam nem is a deeply savory tossed bowl, with crisp boiled meats and a sauce that smells strong without turning harsh. The challenge is that undiluted mam nem is powerfully pungent, and a badly mixed bowl buries everything else.
Finely minced ripe pineapple is what pulls that pungency down, and the mixed sauce is best left to rest for about 10 minutes so the flavors settle together. Crushed roasted peanuts go on at the end for aroma and nuttiness.
This batch weighs about 2.7kg, at roughly 168 calories per 100g.
Method
Wash the pork belly and pig ear in lightly salted water and boil them through. Lift them straight into ice water so they turn crisp and keep their color, then slice thinly.
Peel the shrimp, boil them until just cooked and drain. Wash the greens, cut the cucumbers into fine strips and mince the pineapple.
Put 4 tablespoons mam nem in a bowl with the minced pineapple, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1 tablespoon minced chili. Stir until the sauce comes together and smells fragrant, balanced between salty and sweet rather than harsh.
Put the rice vermicelli in bowls and arrange the pork, pig ear, shrimp, greens and cucumber on top. Spoon over the mixed mam nem and scatter with roasted peanuts. Toss everything before eating so the sauce coats every strand.
Tips
Finely minced ripe pineapple is essential, softening the pungency of the sauce and adding natural sweetness.
Ten minutes of resting after mixing lets the flavors of the sauce settle together.
Poach the pig ear just to done and slice it very thin, as thick slices chew tough and take little sauce.
Plunging the pork and pig ear into ice water straight from the pot gives crisp, pale slices.
Spooning the sauce on a little at a time keeps the noodles from turning too salty.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.