Nem bưởi, a specialty of Tây Ninh Province

Thu Hà

My aunt from the southern province of Tây Ninh recently visited Hà Nội. She brought us several dozen packages of fermented grapefruit, locally known as nem bưởi, a specialty and source of pride of the Tây Ninh people.

We (our six family members) all were excited to try and agreed that the dish is perfect mix, a combination of flavours between the light sour of grapefruit, the soft sweet of green papaya, the fire of chilli, brought together with the harmony of a spicy salt.

“The tough nem bưởi pieces help to stimulate taste and create a genuine experience for all of us,” said my grandmother.

Fermented grapefruit, or nem bưởi, a specialty and source of pride of Tây Ninh people. — Photo luhanhvietnam.com.vn

She was so impressed with the dish that she asked my aunt for a recipe to make it at home.

No one in the province knows exactly that when the dish came into being and who had created it, but the local elders say it has been around since the 1960s and being preserved by a number of local producers, my aunt Phan Thị Biên said.

Ingredients to make the dish include grapefruit, green papaya, pepper, fresh chilli, sour star fruit, young vông (Erythrina variegata) leaves, banana leaves, salt, sugar, garlic, annatto oil, alum, roasted rice powder and herbs.

Nem bưởi is attractive, not just for foodies but also vegetarians and guests to the province. — Photo vntrip.vn

She told my grandmother that green grapefruit, the main ingredient of the dish, should be carefully chosen to give the dish a uniform flavour.

“The right grapefruit should be from 1.5-1.7 kilos and is about to ripen,” Biên said.

The first step is to peel off the grapefruit’s green cover to get to the white flesh which you then need to slice into the thinnest possible slices. Soak it into light alum water for 10-15 minutes to release its bitterness, then squeeze it well and dry it.

The second step is to grate papaya into thin slices, dry it and soak it into light alum water for 15 minutes before squeezing that too and cut it into 5cm threads. Take the sour star fruit, cut that into thin slices and steam it with the grapefruit’s cut inner part.

Packages of tasty great nem bưởi are available for sale. — Photo tcdulichtphcm.vn

The third step is to grind the steamed grapefruit with a little salt and sugar. Fry the mix over small fire for five minutes before turning off the heat.

The fourth step is to mix all the ingredients with papaya threads, annatto oil and then add roasted rice powder and stir it well. Then form this mixture into smallish rectangles or squares, topped with pepper and fresh chilli.

The last step is to place the nem pieces on a young vông leaf and wrap it by a thin nylon cover, tied it with an elastic band and preserve it in a dry cool place for 5-6 hours before enjoying it.

“The tastiest nem will be eaten after 10 hours. Those foodies who like a sourer nem can enjoy it after one or two days,” my aunt Biên said, adding that different from other fermented sour nem, this dish doesn’t need to be dipped in mixed fish sauce with vinegar, garlic and sugar or chilli juice, just dipped in salted pepper and eaten with fresh coriander.

Green grapefruit, the main ingredient to make nem bưởi, among others. — Photo thucphamdongxanh.com

Furthermore, the dish is more enjoyable when eaten with steamed rice rolls, bread or vermicelli, Biên said, noting that the sour of the fruit, the spice from the chilli and tough sweet of papaya, have created a really attractive dish, in looks and taste.

She told Việt Nam News that visitors, including vegetarians, are really interested in this dish. “When visiting Tây Ninh, guests can buy the specialty at tourism sites including the famous Bà Đen Mountain and buy it for an affordable price, from VNĐ30,000-50,000 for a dozen nem.”

"The dish is also an ideal item for those people wishing to reduce weight but who still like snack," said Biên.  VNS