Saucisse aigre d'Isaan

Pound the garlic

Pound the garlic cloves with the salt in a mortar, or chop very finely, until you get a wet, fragrant paste. This paste carries the flavour through the whole sausage, so it should be smooth, not chunky.

• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp salt

✅ C'est prêt quand : the garlic turns into a rough, wet paste with no large pieces left

Mix the filling

In a large bowl, combine the minced pork, cooled rice, garlic-salt paste, sugar and MSG if using. Mix and knead with your hands for 4–5 minutes, squeezing the mixture through your fingers, until it turns pale and sticky. This kneading is what makes the sausage hold together and feel springy once cooked, not crumbly.

• 500 g pork shoulder
• 150 g cooked rice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp MSG (optional)

✅ C'est prêt quand : the mixture is pale pink, sticky, and clumps together firmly when pressed

Stuff the casings

Slide the soaked casing onto a sausage funnel or the wide end of a piping bag fitted with a plastic nozzle. Fill it with the pork mixture, packing it firmly but without overstuffing, then twist into links about 10–12 cm long. Prick each link a few times with a toothpick to let trapped air escape, so the casing does not split later.

• 2 m hog casings

✅ C'est prêt quand : the links are plump, evenly filled, and have no large air pockets

Ferment the sausages

Lay the sausages in a single layer on a tray or rack, cover loosely with a clean cloth, and leave at a warm room temperature (ideally not above 30°C/86°F) for 24 to 48 hours. Natural bacteria on the rice and pork turn the starch into lactic acid, which is what gives the sausage its sour tang and firms up the texture. Taste a sliver after 24 hours; the longer it sits, the more sour it gets.

✅ C'est prêt quand : the sausage feels firm, smells pleasantly sour and tangy, not sour-rotten or off

Poach until cooked

Bring a pot of water to a gentle simmer, around 80°C (176°F), not a hard boil. Lower in the sausages and poach for about 15 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest one reads 71°C (160°F). This step cooks the pork fully through before grilling, so the sausage is both safe to eat and still tender inside.

✅ C'est prêt quand : the internal temperature reads 71°C (160°F) and the meat is no longer pink

Grill until charred

Brush a hot grill or grill pan with the oil. Grill the sausages over medium-high heat for 8–10 minutes, turning often, until the skin blisters, chars lightly in spots, and turns deep golden-brown.

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

✅ C'est prêt quand : the casing is blistered and charred in places, and the sausages are hot all the way through

Serve

Cut the sausages into bite-size pieces and pile onto a plate. Serve hot with mint, cilantro, cabbage wedges, raw chilies, raw garlic cloves and lime wedges, so everyone can wrap a bite with herbs and a squeeze of lime.

• to serve mint leaves
• to serve cilantro sprigs
• to serve cabbage wedges
• to serve Thai chilies
• to serve raw garlic cloves
• to serve lime wedges