Hua Sheng is my go-to grocery store in Chinatown. Down the right most aisle (facing into the store), there is a little wooden cabinet thing with sausages and other types of cured meat-like things hanging, and plastic bags so you can grab what you want.
Does anybody have any experience with these? Does anybody know if these sausages, etc. are ready to eat as is, or do they need to be cooked?
I want to try, but have been too chicken.
by bobdole500
6 Comments
Chinese sausages normally need to be cooked.
It’s most likely a kind of lap cheong – which is cured and dried sausage, usually pork. It is not cooked, and needs to be cooked to eat. You can throw some in a pot of rice to cook with the rice, or slice up and add to a stir fry.
The one that looks like pork belly is lap yuk – also needs to be cooked. You can google either name for lots of ideas for dishes to make with them.
Can’t see any sausages in your link but generally Chinese hanging sausages would typically be sliced and steamed or stir fried with veggies. They’re usually very salty as well so adjust your seasonings when cooking with it. Can’t chomp on them like pepperoni, believe me I’ve had the urge too.
They can be steamed together with rice (extra time and bit more water), then taken out and sliced thinly to eat with rice/use in stir fry. This will also flavour the rice and give it a nice aroma.
Once it’s steamed and cooked, you can refrigerate it. Its sold raw as chinese sausage or lap cheong is cured air dried.
I slice them, pan fry them, and use in omelettes, together with whatever veggies and cheese I fancy. Makes a nice change from regular old sausage!
Yep so, lap cheong (臘腸) and lap yuk (臘肉) need to be cooked first. They have maybe an acquired taste if you aren’t too used to it, but I suggest cooking it by cutting it up and steaming it in a rice cooker over rice (that is, when most of the water is gone in the rice cooker, add the meat). It’s also common in some stir frys (like with cabbage and mung bean vermicelli) but it’s mostly paired with rice.