Sai Ua (ไส้อั่ว)
Sausage of northern Thailand, whose forcemeat contains lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and red curry paste. On the night markets of Chiang Mai, it is grilled and sliced to order.
| Minced pork (shoulder) | 800 g |
| Pork fat | 200 g |
| Thai red curry paste | 60 g |
| Lemongrass, finely sliced | 40 g |
| Fresh galangal, grated | 20 g |
| Kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded | 10 g |
| Shallots, sliced | 40 g |
| Fresh garlic, crushed | 20 g |
| Fresh coriander, chopped | 30 g |
| Fish sauce (nam pla) | 25 ml |
| Palm sugar, grated | 15 g |
| Hog casing (Ø 28–32 mm) | — |
- Preparing the herbs: Slice the lemongrass very finely (only the white part). Grate the galangal. Shred the kaffir lime leaves into very fine strips. Chop the coriander.
- Mincing: Mince the pork through the 6 to 8 mm plate. The texture should remain coarse.
- Mixing: Add the curry paste, all the herbs, the garlic, the shallots, the fish sauce and the palm sugar. Knead vigorously for 5 minutes to ensure it mixes well.
- Taste test: Grill a small ball to check the seasoning. Adjust if necessary.
- Resting: Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
- Stuffing: Stuff into the casings, forming sausages of 10 to 12 cm or a continuous spiral.
- Cooking: Grill over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning regularly. The skin should be golden and lightly crisp.
The sai ua rests on a bouquet of fresh herbs and aromatic roots (galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, red curry paste, coriander, garlic) that characterises the whole Tai-Lao cooking of the upper Mekong. Its historic hearth is Luang Prabang, the former royal capital of Laos and recognised cradle of Lao cooking, whose name itself is Lao: sai (intestine) and oua (stuffed). The product spread early into the neighbouring Lanna cultural area, a kingdom in northern present-day Thailand that shared a common cuisine with Laos. The Chiang Mai version freed itself around a profile hotter in chilli and more loaded with curry paste; the Lao version remains more sober.
Lemongrass and galangal play distinct roles: lemongrass brings lively, citrus notes that persist through cooking; galangal, more peppery and camphorous, releases its aromas deeply under heat. Their combination with the kaffir lime leaves, whose scent is far more intense than that of an ordinary lime, brings an aromatic dimension foreign to the European charcuteries.
The sai ua is grilled over embers of teak or tamarind wood. It is served with glutinous rice shaped into balls, chilli sauces, raw vegetables, and nam phrik noom, a green sauce made with roasted chillies. This way of eating it, in which the contrasted textures and temperatures count as much as the flavours, is typical of Lanna cooking (an independent political entity that ruled the north of present-day Thailand from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century).
At the night markets of Chiang Mai (Warorot Market, Talat Ton Payom), the sai ua is grilled, then hung from chains and sliced to order.
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