Sai Oua (Lao Herb Sausage Grilled in Banana Leaf) 🌭

Name: Sai Oua (Lao Herb Sausage Grilled in Banana Leaf)
Prep time: 24 min
Cook time: 36 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 2-4 servings
Cuisine: Lao
Ingredients: 500 g ground pork (some fat content — 20% is good); 2 stalks lemongrass, tender part only, finely minced; 4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded and minced to a dust; 1 tbsp galangal or ginger, grated; 3 scallions, finely sliced; Small handful fresh dill and cilantro, chopped; 3 garlic cloves; 1 tsp shrimp paste (kapi), optional; 2 tsp fish sauce; 1 tsp rice vinegar; 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper; 1/2 tsp sugar; 1 pinch cayenne (more for heat); Banana leaves or parchment, for wrapping; Vegetable oil, for the pan/grill

Sai oua is the smell of Vientiane mornings: pork sausage packed with an entire herb garden — lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, galangal, dill, scallions — and slow-grilled until the casing crackles. Unlike Thai sausages, Lao sai oua is coarser, greener and more aromatic, and street vendors tie it into rings or press it flat on charcoal. It's the perfect companion to sticky rice: tear, dip in a splash of jaew (chili-lime dip), repeat. No labor of love is required — a pan works, a grill works better, and the herb paste can be made the night before.

Vientiane Lao ⏱ 60 min Medium

Method

1

Pound lemongrass, lime leaf, galangal, garlic and shrimp paste into a fine paste (mortar ideal, blender fine).
2

Mix paste with pork, herbs, fish sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar and cayenne. Knead 2 minutes until tacky; refrigerate 20 minutes.
3

Shape into 4-5 thick logs; wrap each in banana leaf or parchment like a candy and twist the ends. (Skip wrapping for direct grilling — the leaf keeps them juicy.)
4

Steam the wrapped sausages 15 minutes, or poach gently. This cooks the inside without burning the outside.
5

Then grill or pan-sear over medium-high heat, 3-4 minutes per side, until deeply browned and the leaf edges char.
6

Rest 2 minutes, unwrap, and serve with sticky rice and jaew dip: lime juice, fish sauce, chili flakes, cilantro.

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Sai Oua (Lao Herb Sausage Grilled in Banana Leaf) 🌭

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