About this recipe
Sai oua is a coarse, aromatic grilled pork sausage from northern Laos, packed with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, galangal, garlic, shallot, chilli and herbs and grilled in a coil over charcoal until the casing blisters and browns. It is a market and street favourite, sliced and eaten with sticky rice, a chilli dip and raw vegetables. It is a close relative of the northern-Thai sai ua across the border, and this book presents a Lao form while noting that shared lineage and the local differences, with the attribution logged for verification. What marks it is the coarse texture and the sheer amount of fresh aromatics worked through the meat.
Recipe facts
- Yield
- 6 servings (about 1 1/2 lb sausage)
- Prep
- 40 minutes (plus chilling)
- Cook
- 20 minutes
- Total
- 60 minutes
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Spice
- Medium to hot
Allergens Contains pork and, via fish sauce and any padaek, fish. Contains no dairy, gluten or coconut as written. Not vegetarian. See the halal-status field.
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
The herb paste
- 3 stalks lemongrass, tender part, finely minced
- 6 kaffir lime leaves, very finely sliced
- 2 in (5 cm) galangal, minced
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 shallots
- 3 to 6 dried red chillies, soaked, or 1 to 2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp (3 g) ground turmeric (optional, for colour)
The sausage
- 1 1/2 lb (680 g) ground pork, with some fat (about 20% fat)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce
- 1 tsp (5 g) salt
- 1 tsp (4 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander (leaves and fine stems)
- 1/4 cup chopped scallion
- Sausage casings, rinsed, or none (to make patties)
To serve
- Steamed sticky rice (recipe #91)
- A chilli dip (jeow) and raw vegetables
Equipment
- Mortar and pestle or food processor for the herb paste
- Sausage casings and a stuffer (or shape into patties)
- Charcoal grill or grill pan
Method
- Pound or process the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, galangal, garlic, shallots, chillies and optional turmeric to a fairly fine paste.
- In a bowl, mix the ground pork with the herb paste, fish sauce, salt, sugar, coriander and scallion until well combined and slightly sticky. Fry a small piece to taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Chill the mixture at least 30 minutes.
- Stuff the mixture into rinsed casings, twisting into a long coil, or shape into patties if not using casings. Prick the casing here and there to stop it bursting.
- Grill over moderate charcoal or on a grill pan, turning, until the casing is browned and blistered and the sausage is fully cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Keep the heat moderate so the outside does not char before the centre cooks.
- Rest a few minutes, then slice on the diagonal.
- Serve hot with sticky rice, a chilli dip and raw vegetables.
The Complete Edition
Sai Oua (Lao Herb Sausage) sits in the Laos chapter
The book carries this recipe in full alongside the rest of the Laos chapter, the pastes and dips it is built on, and the twenty-seven pantry studies that open the collection.
In review with Amazon KDP
Both editions have been submitted to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and are currently in review. Submitted prices are $9.99 for the kindle edition and $49.99 for the paperback. Neither is on sale yet, and prices are as submitted rather than final.