By Kay Johnson

Posted Monday, June 27, 2005; 20:00 HKT
Telling a Chinese person that Asia's best spring rolls are in fact Vietnamese and never deep fried is a bit like informing a Canadian that real hockey is a game conducted on grass and most expertly played by the Indians and the Pakistanis. But the world's most populous nation may just have to live with the fact that its spring rolls are trounced by Vietnam's nem cuon, which are easier on the arteries, too. Made with nary a drop of oil and packed with greens, shrimp, minced pork and vermicelli rice noodles, nem cuon are a low-fat alternative to their overlarded cousins. They are sold for less than 50¢ in almost every street stall in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (where they're called goi cuon). And they are fabulous.

The Rolls-Royce of nem cuon, however, is found in a Hanoi institution, the Emperor restaurant, where the rolls appear subtle on first taste, then explode with contrasting spicy, salty, sweet and sour flavors. For years I couldn't fathom what made the Emperor's rolls so succulently superior, but the owners recently let me in on the secret: chef Pham Van Phat substitutes the vermicelli with a sticky rice pastry called banh cuon. Omitting the noodles allows twice the space for the filling, and the banh cuon does a better job of soaking up the tangy dipping sauce. Convincing Chinese friends that these are better than the deep-fried variety won't be easy. But at just $3 for two of the Emperor's royal nem cuon, I'm happy to put my money where my mouth is.

Previous	NEXT