Specialties on ancient feasts in the West, guests 'don't dare eat', even with money it's hard to buy

Made from nem chua or nem bi, quite similar to nem of the Northern people, but this specialty of the Western people is also woven with such great care that customers cannot bear to eat it because it is so beautiful.

Nem lau (also known as nem bi lau, bi lau) is a unique dish, once famous in the river region of the West, especially in the coconut land of Vinh Long (old Ben Tre province).

The reason for this name is because this spring roll is decorated to look like a building, showing the elaborate and unique way of serving food of the locals.

Accordingly, people in the West will use coconut leaves (old or young coconut leaves are fine) and weave them into a tower shape, with many floors above and a hollow compartment below to hold the spring rolls.

Nem Lau is a specialty that often appears at old weddings in the West. Photo: Zalan Nguyen

Ms. Hoai Thanh (Ba Tri commune, Vinh Long province) said that Nem Lau often appeared in banquets and weddings in the West in the 80s and 90s.

At that time, mothers and grandmothers often put the spring rolls with the banana leaves peeled inside the tower, then skillfully weave the bottom of the tower closed, then place it on a plate and serve it to guests.

“In the past, Nem Lau was considered a snack of the Western people, often used to treat guests at parties, weddings, and holidays.

However, because of the elaborate preparation and decoration process, this dish is becoming less and less popular, usually only made in small batches in each family. Therefore, many customers who live far away and have money find it difficult to buy it,” said Ms. Thanh.

Nem Lau is gradually being lost because of the elaborate decoration and weaving, which takes a lot of time and effort. Photo: Smoke from the countryside kitchen

According to this woman, to make nem lau, locals can use nem chua or nem bi, but nem bi is often preferred. Because after pre-processing, all the ingredients are already cooked, you just need to wait a few hours to enjoy.

Ingredients for making Nem Lau include pork skin, ham, rice powder, Vietnamese coriander (if you have vông leaves, star fruit leaves, or guava leaves, it will be even more delicious), a little pepper, garlic, chili, ginger, lemongrass, and galangal.

First, the pork skin is cleaned, boiled with lemongrass, ginger, vinegar, and salt for about 15-20 minutes to remove the smell. When the skin is cooked, take it out, let it cool, and then cut it into thin, even strips.

Wash the pork leg, season to taste and simmer with coconut water until absorbed. Fresh coconut water helps the meat become soft, fragrant and has a more beautiful color.

The powder is made from 3 ingredients: sticky rice, regular rice and mung beans in a ratio of 1:1:1. The ingredients are washed, drained, roasted until golden brown and ground finely.

Ingredients for making Nem Lau. Photo: Zalan Nguyen

Next, people cut the skin and meat into small pieces, and can add some galangal and rice bran to create a fragrant smell. Then mix all the ingredients (seasoning powder, sugar, a little fried garlic, ground pepper, galangal juice...), season to taste. Wait a while for the mixture to absorb, then stir-fry, add rice bran and pepper.

While the spring rolls are still warm, they are wrapped in plastic wrap and can be eaten a few hours later. To make the dish look more appealing, people also wrap the spring rolls and tie them with string to form the shape of a guava or a squash.

After preparing the spring rolls, the locals begin the decorating process. They use coconut leaves to weave and braid them into a tower with many levels, gradually getting smaller towards the top.

The spring rolls are skillfully wrapped and tied with thread to create a beautiful shape of a mangrove or a pumpkin. Photo: Zalan Nguyen

Ms. Thanh shared that to make a tower, people usually need 5 coconut leaves, split into 10 strands, woven at the bottom first and then the 4 sides around. After placing the spring rolls in the middle of the tower, people continue to weave tightly and create a multi-storey tower.

This step requires patience, meticulousness and a bit of experience to create a beautiful, elaborate floor.

When enjoying, diners skillfully take out the "hidden" spring rolls inside the floor, which can be removed from the top or bottom.

“In the past, nem lau was considered a ‘difficult’ dish on the wedding day between the groom’s and bride’s families. People had to know how to open the nem, and then after taking out the filling, they had to tie the nem lau back up like before. If they didn’t do it properly, they would be laughed at for not knowing how to eat it.

That's why in the past, at wedding feasts, only those who knew how to remove and reweave the spring roll wrappers would dare to eat this dish," she added.

In the past, Nem Lau was also considered a dish that tested the dexterity of young girls in the West. Any girl who was skillful and could eat this dish was considered to have caught the eye of the bride-to-be. Photo: Smoke from the countryside kitchen

Ms. My Hanh (HCMC) - a lucky person who has enjoyed Nem Lau several times in the West, said that this dish has a slightly spicy, fragrant, sweet taste, with the addition of chewy pork skin, creating a unique flavor, different from other traditional Nem dishes.

Because she was impressed by the taste of the spring rolls, Ms. Hanh also asked local people for the address to buy them as gifts for friends and relatives.

However, because the process of making nem lau is quite elaborate and time-consuming, this dish appears less and less, making it difficult for diners to enjoy or buy it.

“The nem bi part is still made regularly by people, tied with thread to form a pumpkin which looks quite attractive. However, people rarely make a decorative tower outside because it takes effort and time.

Even Nem Lau is rarely sold. Only occasionally, on special occasions or when people want to give it as a gift, do the locals mobilize the whole family to gather together to make it, recreating the once famous dish and maintaining the unique culinary culture," said Ms. Hanh.

Western guests ate a dish right away when arriving in Hanoi, praised it as delicious, and were most surprised by the price . The hot, fragrant dish, priced at 60,000 VND/serving, was considered by two Western guests as one of the first impressions when arriving in Hanoi: delicious, affordable price even though the restaurant is located right in the center of the Old Quarter.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dac-san-nem-lau-trong-mam-co-mien-tay-khach-khong-dam-an-co-tien-cung-kho-mua-2456651.html