Recipe: Vietnamese Fresh Pork Sausage (Chả lụa)

I was browsing through the Vietnamese Bible again for more inspiration, and came across this recipe for fresh pork sausage, also known as Chả lụa. In the book, there is also another version of chả lụa, which refers to "Vietnamese pork roll or terrine", a type of sausage traditionally wrapped in banana leaves. I made the fresh pork sausage version, cos it's easier and sounds more like the type my kids would like to eat :)

All you need to do is mix the minced pork with the seasonings and herbs, then shape them into sausage shapes and wrap in cling firm. The sausages are then gently poached until cooked. You can have this either cold or warm by browning it in a pan before serving.

The flavours for this cha lua is quite mild, with hints of chilli and fish sauce coming through. The kids loved this a lot (maybe the cute colorful toothpicks helped?) and were eating this non-stop, dipping it in the sweet chilli sauce as they ate.This is one sausage I am happy serving to my kids, since I know it's made from scratch from natural ingredients.

Vietnamese Fresh Pork Sausage (Cha Lua)
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Vietnamese Bible
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

500g minced pork

2 tbsp fish sauce

3 tsp rice flour

1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp fresh coriander, freshly chopped

1 small hot red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1. Place the minced pork in a large bowl, then add fish sauce, rice flour, sugar, coriander, and red chilli and mix well. Using your hands, form into 3 sausage shapes.

2. Wrap each sausage tightly in cling film, twisting the ends to keep the roll firm. Refridgerate for 2-3 hours, then poach in very gently simmering water for about 20-25 minutes.

3. Remove from water and set aside to cool, then refridgerate for a further 2 hours, until firm.

4. You can serve this sausage cold (slice and serve with toothpicks or in lettuce wraps with mustard, chilli sauce or Vietnamese dipping sauce). Alternatively, you can serve it warm - remove from cling wrap, then brown in a pan with some oil, then slice and serve.

Note: You can also use lean pork + pork fat, and place it in the food processor to grind to a sticky paste.

* I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest- Indochina hosted by Kelly Siew Cooks and to "Cook-Your-Books #13" hosted by Joyce .


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)