Nem Lui (Lemongrass Skewers) of Hue

Hue is famous for many delicious dishes, such as mussel rice, beef noodle, banh beo cake,... but very few people know about Nem Lui-a dish that makes the hearts of Hue people flutter.

Nem Lui is quite popular in all parts of the country, but Nem Lui in Hue have their own flavor that is different from other places. Eating once is remembered forever.

The ingredients for making Nem Lui are quite simple: pounded pork, thinly sliced skin like vermicelli, diced pork fat, all marinated with salt, pepper, and sugar depending on each person's taste, and then mixed well. After that, people mold this mixture into long shapes a little bigger than a finger, then skewer them onto small bamboo chopsticks and bake them on a charcoal stove until cooked. According to Hue dialect, the act of skewering Nem Lui into bamboo chopsticks is called Lui. That's why this dish is called Nem Lui.

In other places, Nem Lui is dipped in sweet and sour soup, Hue people are dotted with "leo" broth. This sauce is viscous, rich in taste, and delicious. If you want it spicy, add a little chili. The dipping sauce is the soul of the dish, so it is made quite sophisticatedly, including pureed peanuts, adding fish sauce, pork liver, minced pork, and then boiling on the stove until it becomes a paste like soy sauce.

Nem Lui and delicious dipping sauce are not enough. You have to eat right to feel the full taste and essence of the dish. When eating Nem Lui, people often eat it with rice paper, herbs, raw vegetables, cucumbers,... Roll with dipping sauce and enjoy.

The golden Nem Lui are delicious; the fatty flesh of the dipping sauce, the freshness of the vegetables. All blended into a wonderful dish only available in Hue.

Leading Nem Lui restaurants in Hue:

Nem Lui in Dong Ba market
Nem Lui Phuong – 38 Ba Trieu street
Nem Lui ba Ty – 81 Dao Duy Tu street
Phu Tai restaurant – 02 Dien Bien Phu street
Nem Lui ong Me Gia – intersection of Huynh Thuc Khang and Mai Thuc Loan street