Thai cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Sai Ua

Northern Thai grilled chicken sausage with red curry paste, lemongrass and lime leaf, cooked over embers.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 800 g boneless chicken thigh
• 3 tbsp red curry paste
• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 6 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 3 spring onions
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp palm sugar
• 2 m sheep casing (natural)
• lettuce leaves and sticky rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Soak the sausage casing in lukewarm water for 30 min. and rinse it thoroughly; cut the chicken into very small cubes with a knife and chill.
2. Slice only the tender lower third of the lemongrass into paper-thin rings, cut the lime leaves into the finest strips, and finely chop the garlic, cilantro and spring onions.
3. Knead the meat vigorously with curry paste, turmeric, fish sauce, palm sugar and all the herbs until the mixture holds together, then let it rest chilled for 20 min.
4. Loosely fill the mixture into the casing using a sausage funnel or a piping funnel, without stretching it, and coil it into a long spiral about 20 cm across.
5. Grill the sausage over moderate embers for 20–25 min., turning every 5 min., until it is deep golden outside and clear juices run out when pierced.
6. Let the sausage rest for 5 min., slice it and serve with lettuce leaves and sticky rice.