Chicken nems
Nems are probably the best known Far Eastern dish in France. These small crispy rolls can be made in different flavours: chicken, crab, pork, etc. Making your own is not very complicated, the only difficulty is in the rolling stage. You will find in this recipe full details on how to successfully make chicken nems.
[Translator's note: the "rice paper" used here is not the same as the rice paper used in England under macaroons, it's sold in packs of thin round translucent wafers, rather like papadoms].
[Translator's note: the "rice paper" used here is not the same as the rice paper used in England under macaroons, it's sold in packs of thin round translucent wafers, rather like papadoms].
503 K 3.7/5 (103 reviews)
2 hours 25 min.
Average
20 Chickens nems
17 IngredientsLast modified on: April 6th 2017
For 20 Chickens nems, you will need:
- 1
½ carrot - 2
½ leek - 3
½ shallot - 4
½ garlic clove - 5
½ chicken breast - 6
½ bunch fresh coriander (cilantro) - 7
50 g dried chinese black mushrooms (shiitake) - 8
50 g fine soya noodles - 9
20 rices sheets - 10
1.5 tablespoon soy sauce - 11
1.5 tablespoon water - 12
1.5 tablespoon vinegar - 13
salt - 14
pepper - 15
½ chicken stock cube - 16
lettuce - 17
fresh mint leaves - Total weight: 555 grams
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour 35 min.
Resting: 35 min.
Cooking: 15 min.
All in all: 2 hours 25 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 30 min.
Rehydrate 50 g dried chinese black mushrooms (shiitake).
Drain and dry. If they are not already in strips, cut into small pieces.
Set aside.
Drain and dry. If they are not already in strips, cut into small pieces.
Set aside.
Stage 2 - 15 min.
Stage 4 - 10 min.
Stage 5 - 2 min.
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Lightly cook ½ chicken breast in a little chicken stock.
Note: don't discard stock after cooking, it's going to be used for cooking the noodles.
Note: don't discard stock after cooking, it's going to be used for cooking the noodles.
Stage 7 - 5 min.
Cut chicken into very small pieces.
Set aside.
Set aside.
Stage 8 - 1 min.
Cook 50 g fine soya noodles one minute in chicken stock.
Drain and set aside.
Drain and set aside.
Stage 9 - 3 min.
In a large bowl, put everything you've prepared so far: mushrooms, carrot, leek, coriander, chicken, noodles, shallot and garlic.
Keep back a teaspoonful of grated carrot for the sauce.
Salt and pepper.
Keep back a teaspoonful of grated carrot for the sauce.
Salt and pepper.
Stage 10
Mix everything well, the best way is to use both hands.
Note: This mixture can be made in advance, and kept in a sealed container in the fridge.
Note: This mixture can be made in advance, and kept in a sealed container in the fridge.
Stage 11
Rolling nems.
Get everything you need ready on your work surface:
Get everything you need ready on your work surface:
- a big clean cloth
- a dish of cold water
- Rice paper sheets
- a non-stick baking sheet for putting finished nems on
Stage 12 - 5 min.
Dip 10 rice paper sheets in cold water for about 5 minutes, to soften them.
Stage 13
Remove one softened rice paper sheet from water and place on the cloth.
Stage 14
Remove excess water on top with the cloth.
Stage 15
On the edge of the rice paper, put a tablespoon of mixture.
Stage 16
Roll sheet up around filling.
Stage 17
Midway across sheet, fold sides inwards.
Stage 18 - 45 min.
And finish rolling to create a small roll, as neat and even as possible.
Make sure you keep the rice paper tight against the filling when rolling to exclude as much air as possible from the nem.
You nem is now ready, put it on the tray, and make the next one. Do this with all the filling.
Make sure you keep the rice paper tight against the filling when rolling to exclude as much air as possible from the nem.
You nem is now ready, put it on the tray, and make the next one. Do this with all the filling.
Stage 19
You can see how to do it in this short video.
Stage 20 - 5 min.
Prepare sauce: in a bowl mix 1.5 tablespoon soy sauce with 3 tablespoons of water and 1.5 tablespoon vinegar.
Add the remaining grated carrot and pepper generously.
Your sauce is ready.
Add the remaining grated carrot and pepper generously.
Your sauce is ready.
Stage 21 - 5 min.
To cook your nems, you can use a frying pan with a little oil in, or put them in a deep fryer (in which case they will be very crisp but fattier).
Stage 22
Serve with lettuce, fresh mint and sauce.
Remarks
You can vary your nems by repacing chicken with something else. You can also omit it totally to make vegetable nems.
Nems, cooked or not, can be frozen.
Nems, cooked or not, can be frozen.
Keeping: Once cooked, a few minutes.
Source: JP in his time.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 30 RDI=10 % | 70 RDI=7 % | 8 RDI=1 % | 490 RDI=30 % | 2,060 RDI: 30 % |
| Per 100 g | 5 RDI=2 % | 10 RDI=1 % | 1 RDI=0 % | 90 RDI=4 % | 370 RDI: 4 % |
| Per piece | 1 RDI=1 % | 3 RDI=0 % | 0 | 20 RDI=1 % | 100 RDI: 1 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 20 Chickens nems : 4.80 €
- Per Chicken nems : 0.25 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Dried chinese black mushrooms (shiitake)
Like these other recipes: Chinese Soup, ... See them all 1
Fine soya noodles
Like these other recipes: Chinese Soup, ... See them all 1
Soy sauce
Like these other recipes: Sushi, Pork sautéed with green beans, Asian style, Glazed mushrooms with plain rice, Sautéed Pork with Peanuts, Curried tuna cubes, ... See them all 17
Other recipes you may also like
Sweet pancake rolls from Brittany
Stewed apples, raisins soaked in whisky, toasted almonds, rolled in a lightly caramelized pancake.March 10th 2015243 K4.3 2 hours 20 min.
Chocolate sauce
This rich smooth chocolate sauce, with its full flavour, is one of the indispensable ingredients of profiteroles, but it can be used with many others desserts.February 21th 2011301 K 24 35 min.
Montbenoit's canapés
A recipe from Franche-comté (lovely region of eastern France): large slices of bread coated with melted shallot, grilled bacon dice, a big slice of Morbier (cheese from the same region) and a brief spell in the oven. It really is a winter dish.October 13th 2010272 K4.6 1 hour 45 min.
You should not leave egg yolks in contact with sugar
You should not leave egg yolks in contact with sugar for too long without beating them, because this contact "cooks" egg yolks and you will get small lumps of hard egg in your mixture.February 21th 2011121 K5
Household cake (Gâteau de ménage)
A traditional recipe from Franche-comté, it's a flat round kind of brioche, covered with an egg cream called "Goumeau".June 15th 2020495 K 25 3 hours 60 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-11-24)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 3 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.