Sai Oua

the herb sausage of Luang Prabang: fatty pork pounded with lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaf, shallot, and chilli, stuffed into casings, coiled, and grilled

Origin: Luang Prabang & Laos

From the journey of Lemongrass.

Sai oua means 'stuffed intestine', and it is the grilled herb sausage of Laos, made in Luang Prabang and the north, and across the border in northern Thailand, where Chiang Mai sells it by the coil as sai ua. Coarsely chopped fatty pork is worked with a great deal of pounded lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaf, shallot, garlic, chilli, and coriander, seasoned with salt and fish sauce, and stuffed into casings; in Luang Prabang a little sticky rice often goes in too, and the sausage may be left for a day to sour slightly before it is grilled. It is eaten in slices with sticky rice and a pounded chilli relish, with raw vegetables and herbs, and it is the smell of the night markets of the old royal city. The lemongrass is what distinguishes it from every sausage made outside the region.

Ingredients

Sausage

  • 1 kg pork shoulder, with 25 per cent fat, coarsely chopped or minced
  • 8 makrut lime leaves, very finely shredded
  • 1 handful coriander, chopped
  • 3 tbsp cooked sticky rice (optional)
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 3 m natural pork casings, soaked and rinsed

Paste

  • 5 stalks of lemongrass, tender core finely sliced
  • 4 cm galangal, sliced
  • 6 shallots
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 4 dried red chillies, soaked, and 4 bird's eye chillies

Method

  1. Pound the lemongrass, galangal, shallots, garlic, and chillies to a coarse paste in a mortar.
  2. Mix the pork with the paste, lime leaves, coriander, sticky rice, fish sauce, and salt, working it with your hands for 3 to 4 minutes until evenly combined and slightly sticky. Fry a small piece to taste the seasoning.
  3. Stuff the mixture into the casings, not too tightly, and twist or tie into a long coil. Prick any air pockets with a needle.
  4. Leave the coil uncovered in the refrigerator overnight to firm up, or, in the Luang Prabang way, at cool room temperature for a few hours to sour slightly.
  5. Grill over medium charcoal for 15 to 20 minutes, turning, until cooked through and browned.
  6. Slice and serve with sticky rice, a chilli relish, and raw vegetables.

Notes

Without a sausage stuffer, the mixture makes excellent patties, grilled or fried.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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