Sai Ua (ไส้อั่ว) is a highly popular street food in Chiang Mai, consisting of a flavorful pork sausage grilled over charcoal. It is seasoned with red curry paste and fresh herbs. While the name literally translates to “stuffed intestine”, you do not actually need to go through the trouble of procuring and filling sausage casings to enjoy these authentic flavors at home.
For the absolute best results, it is highly recommended to make your own red curry paste from scratch rather than using store-bought. This is surprisingly easy to do if you use an immersion blender, and it results in a curry paste—and ultimately sausages—that is vastly more bright and fragrant. As with all sausages, you will need fatty pork to achieve the best flavor and juicy results, aiming for a 20% to 30% fat content.
Ingredients
Makes 3-4 sausages
- 300 grams (.66 lb) ground pork
- 3 Tbsp Thai red curry paste, enriched with fresh turmeric
- 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp minced cilantro
- 1 Tbsp minced green onions
- 1/2 Tbsp finely julienned and then minced makrut lime leaves
Instructions
Combine 300 grams of ground pork, 3 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste, and 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce in a large bowl.
Wear latex gloves and knead the curry paste into the pork until well mixed.
Then add a tablespoon of minced cilantro, a tablespoon of minced green onions, and 1/2 tablespoon of finely julienned and then minced makrut lime leaves.
Knead just until combined. Cook a small piece of sausage meat in the microwave or in a frying pan to test the seasoning, and add more fish sauce if needed.
Divide the meat into 3 or 4 equal parts, place each on a sheet of cling film, and use the cling film to help roll them into sausage shapes.
Twist and turn the ends of the cling film to close the sausages.
Let them firm up in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
When it is time to grill, unwrap the sausages and insert a skewer through the center lengthwise. Grill the sausages over charcoal until they are golden brown and just cooked through.
Your trip to Thailand really broadened your food tastes, did it not! These Thai sausages promise a lot of taste without extra culinary skills being needed. Have looked up your red curry paste recipe – nothing hard to get there either. It does contain a heavier dose of garlic than I remembered – the taste balance must be there. Love the coriander . . . they do look good . . . Hope you are well in the heat . . . daresay you more than many are more used to it with your travel history.
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I can only imagine how delicious these are! Such great flavor. Now I’m kicking myself for not growing lemongrass this year. It’s impossible to find.
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