Nem Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patty) Sliders

Since my hometown's style of making Nem Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties) already resembled little hamburger patties, it wasn't that much of a leap to put them in between Hawaiian bread rolls and turn them into sliders, but I wanted to carry it further. I wanted to put what I loved about the rice paper roll into a bun.

Do I add cornstarch to the dipping sauce and make it even thicker? Still too gloppy. And do Vietnamese herbs really go with bread? Not really. Do I fold the empty wrapper into a big square instead of a roll like I do for nem nuong? But a bun doesn't contain the crispy bits as well as a rice paper roll.

I was overthinking it, a basic nem nuong cuon just has the meat, lettuce, and a crispy bit in the middle.

So I cut an egg roll wrapper into fourths and fried them crispy and stuck them into the bun. It reminded me of upscale hamburger places that had a crispy Parmesan chip inside the burger.

Biting into my nem nuong slider, I got juicy meat, I got lettuce, I got a lightly crispy bit to contrast with it all.

 Perfect.

I wolfed down several sliders right away and made another batch a few days later when my parents came to town. The only caveat is that the fried egg roll wrapper gets soggy quickly so eat these right away.



Nem Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patty) Sliders

For about a dozen sliders, you'll need:
2 lbs of Nem Nuong Hanh La (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties with Scallions) as pictured in this recipe, or Nem Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties)
1 package Hawaiian bread rolls
3 egg roll wrappers, cut into fourths and fried
Lettuce
Carrots, finely julienned or make Do Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon)

Make a 2-lb batch of the nem nuong of your choice and pan-fry or grill. I made each patty about 2 1/2-inches in diameter.



Fry the quartered egg roll wrapper until golden.



Drain or blot to remove as much excess oil as possible.



Start building your slider by halving each roll and adding lettuce. I used red leaf lettuce because it's more tender and sweet. Boston lettuce would work well too, but it's more expensive.



Add the nem nuong patty.



I added the fried egg roll wrapper on top, except that it obscured everything in the photo. So I moved it below the lettuce, which contributed to it becoming soggy faster. If you're not photographing sliders, then obviously place the fried wrapper on top of the meat. Although, again, if you're serving them, placing the wrapper on top hides all the goodness below. Add finely julienned some carrots for color or make pickled carrots and daikon if you wish.



See? The sliders looked so plain without the carrots.



This was my second batch, made several days later, while I still had some daylight.



And the first batch made late at night and shot under the florescent light in my kitchen.



Both versions were equally good though no matter the lighting!



Enjoy!

Other burger recipes:
Bulgogi Burger
Feta Cheeseburgers with Baked Garlic Fries

*****
1 year ago today, Pho Ga Vietnam Kitchen - San Gabriel (Closed).
2 years ago today, Cortez Cultural Center - Cortez - Colorado.
3 years ago today, Pasta Pomodoro (Italian Tomato Pasta).
4 years ago today, basil seed drink.