For the Overall Prep List

1. Wash, dry, pick herbs & place into serving bowls
2. Cut chives into 3” pieces and place into servings bowls
3. Wash & dry lettuce
4. Cut cucumbers into thin ¼” thick and 2” long slices 
5. Cut the cha (Vietnamese ham) into 2” long by ¼” thick pieces
6. Setup a water in a large bowl to dip the rice paper rolls (you may need to setup 2 depending on the size of your group)
7. Make the nem nuong (pork sausage), following the recipe below
8. Make the beef tenderloin following the recipe below
9. Peel and devein the shrimp (you can also buy the peeled and deveined shrimp)
10. Poach the shrimp until the shrimp loses is opacity (~2-3 minutes)
11. Cut the shrimp in half lengthwise and place onto a serving plate
12. Roll spring roll paper
13. Fry spring roll paper at oil temp 375F until golden brown
14. Boil the noodles 
15. Rinse the noodles and form into bite sized coils
16. Make peanut sauce according to the recipe below
17. Make Nuoc Cham sauce according to the recipe below

For the Lemongrass Charred Beef Tenderloin (bo nuong xa)

1. Combine the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. 
2. Thinly slice the beef tenderloin, aiming for ¼” thick pieces. 
3. Add the marinade to the beef and let sit for 10 minutes. 
4. Heat a large pan on medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add an even layer of the beef to the pan. It’s important not to crowd the beef if you’re looking for a nice sear. Cook until the beef is brown on one side, about 1.5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 30 seconds. You want to cook the beef tenderloin just enough so that it’s not raw, as this is a delicate cut of meat. 
5. Remove the cooked beef onto a plate and continue searing the beef in batches until finished.

Fried Pork Sausage (nem nuong)

1. Prepare the shallots and garlic. If you have a food processor, this would be an excellent opportunity to use it to finely chop the shallots and garlic. Otherwise, you can chop by hand. 
2. Combine the pork from the frozen and defrosted nem nuong, the chopped shallots and garlic, shredded lemongrass, honey, and fish sauce. If you were only able to find ground pork and not the nem nuong packages, add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
3. Mix everything together and form into small sausage links (2” long by ½” wide). Lay this on a plate or parchment lined sheet tray. 
4. Once all the sausage links are formed, heat a cast iron skillet or heavy duty pan on medium high heat. Add ¼ cup of neutral oil. Once the oil is hot (you can check with either a meat thermometer – 350F or if there are bubbles surrounding a wooden chopstick), reduce the heat to medium, and add a layer of the pork sausages. Be sure to leave at least ½” of room between the sausages. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, checking occasionally and turning to prevent burning. Once the inside has reached 145, or it’s been at least 6 minutes, remove from the oil and onto a paper towel lined plate. 
5. Continue this process with all the sausages. 
6. Halve the nem nuong lengthwise, plate, and serve. This can sit at room temperature, so no need to rush to be done last. 

Peanut sauce

1. In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients. 
2. Heat on medium high heat and continue to whisk until smooth. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. You will see the sauce begin to break, but just continue whisking. The sauce will come together after about 5 minutes. 
3. Pour the sauce into a bowl, and serve.

Nuom Cham (Fish Sauce)

1. Add all the ingredients into a bowl. 
2. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and serve.