When I was growing up I wasn’t allowed to eat naem (แหนม) or fermented pork.  All of Mom’s Thai friends say it’s “not suitable for children.”  So I was deprived of that delicacy until I went away to college in San Francisco.  In fact, it was in the USA that I “discovered” many forbidden Thai food.  Funny that.

There is another version of naem made with baby ribs and fried crispy.  Lovely with just a plate of rice.  But my favorite is naem fried rice.  I have been told naem is easy to make but I don’t like taking risks when it comes to fermenting raw meat.  Instead for years I rely on a popular Thai brand until I moved to Paris and make friends with the patron of Oriental Kitchen.  It’s the best commercial fermented pork in my opinion.

It’s actually Vietnamese and is known as nem chua.  I find it a lot more flavorful and believe it or not, I haven’t bought my usual Thai brand since.  Even when I am now back in Bangkok.  (I keep a stash in the freezer.)

I googled around and found out that it can be eaten raw and I am not the only one crazy about it.  But being germphobic, I like to grill them first.  It also gives them a smoky flavor if grilled over charcoal, that is.

The kind of fried rice I like are those not overloaded with a gazillion ingredients.  I like it best when it’s stir-fried simply with a few main ingredients so that they complement instead of clash with each other.  For nem chua fried rice, I omitted the garlic and instead sauteed some shallots, add in the rice, give it a quick stir, push aside and add in an egg.  Mix everything together quickly and then add the grilled nem chua and chopped scallions.  Mix mix mix and season with fish sauce and pepper.  Yummy with lime and fish sauce and chili on the side.