Issan Sausage - Sai Klok Issan

Sai Klok Issan - Thai style sausage

These Issan Sausages are common street foods in the North of Thailand. As you walk down a road way you will e beakoned by the wafting fragrance of these flavourful sauges grilling. You can eat from stick skewers or out of a lettuce cup with condiments including knobs of ginger, whole chiles, unsalted roasted peanuts, scallions and a wedge of lime to squeeze over them.

Issan sausage - Thai style sausage

Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup cooked sticky rice
- 1/2 cup fresh garlic, pulverized in a mortar and pestle
- 1.5 tablespoon pickled garlic, pulverized in a mortar and pestle
- 1/2 to 1 tablespoon Thai pepper powder (do not substitute)
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon Golden Mountain Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon corriander seed powder
- Sausage casings-I use pork intestines as they are the proper size
- 12" Pastry bag

Put the pork and all other ingredients excepting the rice in a food processor and thoroughly mix. With clean hands, mix in the rice, then separate the meat into 3 or 4 sections, and wrap each section carefully and tightly with plastic wrap. Follow that with some tin foil for added protection. Set the sausage out at room temperature (not in the fridge) for 1-2 days. Remove from plastic wrap and foil. Many Americans fear this step-so just continue and stuff casings without fermentation.

Pipe sausage mixture into casings, don't over pak the filling as you need to twist the to form the 1 1/4" size sausage ball sized links.

Barbeque the sausage over medium/low heat for about 20 minutes or longer. Note the fragrant aroma, and make sure it's well-cooked. You can fry in oil if barbeque is not available.

Serve with fresh chile peppers, garlic, pickled ginger, spring onion, cilantro, leaf lettuce, cabbage and other greens you may like.

Tod Man Pla ( Fish Cakes )

Tod Man Pla (Fish Cakes)
1. Combine the fish with the Red Curry Paste, fish sauce, salt, sugar, lime leaves, tapioca flour and plain flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir well until the mixture becomes sticky. Add the egg, Stir several times, then add the beans. Mix well

2. Heat the oil in a work or frying pan over medium high heat. Dip your hand in water. Shape 1 heaped tablespoon mixture into a party 5 cm ( 2 in ) round and ½ cm ( ¼ in ) thick. Carefully put each cake into the hot oil and cook until golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Serve with ajaad ( Cucumber Relish )

Tod Man Pla (Fish Cakes)

- 450g ( 1lb ) fish fillets, chopped into pieces
- 60ml ( ¼ cup ) Red curry Paste
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspon sugar
- 9 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 egg
- 100g ( ½ cup ) thinly sliced winged beans, long beans or string beans
- 750m ( 3 cups ) oil

Saku Sai Muu (Topioca balls with pork filling)

Saku Sai Muu (Topioca balls with pork filling)
- 300g ( 2 cups ) tapioca pearls
- 250ml ( 1 cup ) warm water
- 30g ( 1/4 cup ) diced salted radish
- 3 coriander ( cilantro ) roots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 180g ( 1 cup ) ground pork
- 100g ( 1 cup ) diced shallots or onion
- 75g ( 1/2 cup ) palm sugar
- 60ml ( 1/4 cup ) fish sauce
- 90g ( 1/2 cup ) ground roasted peanuts
- 4 tablespoons garlic oil
- 2 1/2 litres ( 10 cups ) water
- 9 spring fresh coriander ( cilantro ) leaves
- 1 head leaf lettuce leaves separated and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons fried garlic, as garnish

Saku Sai Muu (Topioca balls with pork filling)

1. Combine the topioca and warm water in a mixing bowl and stir a wooden spoon until mixed. Knead into a soft dough. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside

2. Wash the salted radish, squeeze dry and set aside. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the coriander roots, garlic and peppercorns until fines.

3. Heat the 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a wok. Cook the pounded mixture until fragrant., about 3 minutes. Add the meat and keep stirring, breaking up any lumps. Add the onion and salted radish. Stir in the palm sugar and fish sauce and continue to cook until the liquid is almost evaporated. Add the peanuts. Stir until the filling mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and cool.

4. To make the balls,dip your hands in cold water. Take about 1 teaspoon tapioca dough and shape it into a small ball, then flatten it. Place 1 teaspoon filling in the centre and gather the edges up to form a ball. Repeat to use up the remaining dough and filling

5. Use the garlic oil to oil a serving platter. Bring the 2 1/2 litres ( 10 cups ) water to the boil in a large saucepan. Drop the tapioca balls into the water, about 10 pieces at a time. When they float to the surface, use a slotted spoon to scoop them out, place them on the serving platter and sprinkle with the fried garlic. Alternatively, steam the balls over high heat for 5 minutes. Serve with the lettuce leaves and fresh coriander for wrapping.

Tod Man Khao Pote ( Fried Corn Patties )

Tod Man Khao Pote (Fried Corn Patties)
1. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the coriander roots, garlic and peppercorns until fine. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, except the oil, and stir well

2. Heat the oil in a work or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Shape 1 heaping tablespoon mixture into a patty 4 cm ( 1 ½ in ) in diameter and 1 cm ( ½ in ) thick. Carefully drop each patty into the oil and cook on both sides until brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until the batter is used up. Serve hot.

Tod Man Khao Pote (Fried Corn Patties)

- 2 coriander (cilantro) roots
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 450g (1 lb) ground pork
- 450g (1 lb) fresh, canned and drained, or frozen, corn kernels
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour or cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon light soy
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced crosswise
- 750ml (3 cups) oil

Miang Kham ( Lettuce Leaf Cups )

Miang Kham (Lettuce Leaf Cups)
- 1 lime or lemon, diced
- 5-cm (2-in) piece fresh ginger, peeled and diced
- 1 red onion,peeled and diced
- 30 g (1/4 cup) dried shrimp
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chillies (optional)
- 45 g (1/4 cup) roasted peanuts
- 40 g (1/4 cup) roasted coconut
- 40 small pieces Chinese collard greens or leaf lettuce (about 350g)
- 250 ml (1 cup) Miang Kham Sauce

Miang Kham (Lettuce Leaf Cups)

1. Arrange the leaf cup ingredients in separate piles on a serving tray and pour 250 ml (1 cup) Miang Kham Sauce in a small serving dish. Sprinkle the Sauce with crushed peanuts.

2. To serve , make a triangular come from a leaf and fill the cone with 1 teaspoon coconut. Add 1 piece of each of the other ingredtents. Spoon ½ teaspoon Sauce over the content and fold the leaf over to cover the filling before eating.

Miang Kham Sauce
- 30 g ( ¼ cup) thinly sliced onions
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced lemongrass
- 1 tablespoon shredded fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
- 90 g ( ½ cup) shredded coconut
- 30 g ( ¼ cup) dried shrimp
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 500 ml (2 cups) plus 125-180ml ( ½ - ¾ cups) water
- 200 g ( 1 ¼ cups) palm sugar
- Crushed peanuts for garnish

Po Piah Sot ( Fresh Spring Rolls )

Po Piah Sot (Fresh Spring Rolls)
1. Combine all the Sauce ingredients, except the sesame seeds, in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the mixture boils; stir a few times. Add the sesame seeds when the mixture begins to thicken. Transfer to a serving dish.

2. Steam the Chinese sausages for 5 to 6 minutes, cool and cut into 8 strips lengthwise

3. Heat the oil in a work or frying-pan over medium heat and cook the eggs into an omelette Cut the omelette into 8 long pieces and set aside

4. Place a spring roll wrapper on a flat surface and put a piece of sausage, cucumber, beancurd, omelette and spring onion on the wrapper. Set aside some crabmeat as garnish, then add 2 tablespoons of crabmeat and some beansprouts. Roll the wrapper up tightly. Repeat until you use up all the wrappers.

5. Serve as is, or steam the rolls for 1 to 2 minutes in a steamer or microwave oven. Garnish each roll with some crabmeat and serve the sauce on the side or drizzle on top.

Po Piah Sot (Fresh Spring Rolls)

- 2 Chinese sausages
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 8 spring roll wrappers
- 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into batons
- 450 g (1 lb) firm beancurd, cut into batons
- 8 spring onions (scallions) trimmed
- 250 g (1 cup) cooked crabmeat
- 450 g (1 lb) beansprouts, blanched for 2 minutes
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce

Sauce
- 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock or water
- 50 g ( 1/3 cup) palm sugar
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) tamarind juice
- 90 g (1/2 cup) finely ground roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons crispy fried shallots
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons tapioca flour or cornstarch mixed with 60ml (1/4 cup) water
- ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder
- 45 g (1/4 cup) toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder