How to make Lao Sausage and the recipes of Lao Sausage

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Lao Sausage (Sai Oua)

Lao sausage, known as Sai Oua, is a flavorful and aromatic sausage originating from Laos, adapted from a recipe passed down by Grandma Keo Choulaphan. This sausage combines ground pork with fragrant herbs and spices, perfect for grilling, broiling, or adding to soups.

Time: 1½ to 2 hours (depending on your sausage-stuffing prowess) plus soaking
Makes: 10 to 12 four-inch sausages (8 servings as part of a multicourse family-style meal)

Ingredients

  • 5 feet of 38-42 mm (1½-1¾ inch) diameter hog casing, soaked overnight
  • ½ cup frozen ground lemongrass, thawed and soaked in ¼ cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 kaffir lime leaf
  • ¼-inch piece galangal, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons crushed dried chili flakes (or 4 whole dried chilies)
  • Pinch of crushed Sichuan peppercorns
  • 2 pounds ground pork
  • ¾ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and stalks
  • ¾ cup finely chopped culantro
  • ½ cup finely chopped green onions (white and green parts)
  • ½ cup very finely chopped yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons salt

Instructions

  1. Prepare Casing: Soak hog casing overnight in cold water. Rinse thoroughly with warm water, flushing out the insides. Keep in warm water until ready to use.
  2. Blend Lemongrass Mixture: In a blender, combine soaked lemongrass, water, garlic, lime leaf, galangal, chili flakes, and peppercorns. Blend until a coarse paste forms, adding water as needed to facilitate blending.
  3. Mix Sausage Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine pork, cilantro, culantro, green onions, yellow onion, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and the blended lemongrass mixture. Mix thoroughly with hands. Microwave a small portion to taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
  4. Stuff Sausage: Using a sausage stuffer or a stand mixer with sausage attachment, fill hog casing with the meat mixture. Tie off the ends of the filled casing to form links, twisting every 4 inches and tying with kitchen twine. Prick sausage with a pin to remove air bubbles.
  5. Cooking Instructions: Cook sausage by broiling, barbecuing, or boiling until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) or shows no trace of pink when pierced with a knife. Freeze uncooked sausage for up to 1 month.

Pat’s Notes: If frozen ground lemongrass isn’t available, prepare fresh lemongrass by finely chopping in a food processor.

Grandma Says: Sai Oua can also be made into patties or meatballs for convenience. Enjoy these sausages as a main dish or as a flavorful addition to soups and stews.

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