Sai Ua, a style of sausage found in northwestern Thailand, is a delightful meat snack that contains more fresh herbs than most sausages and acts as a flavorful addition to soups and stir-fries. The herbal profile of the sausage goes well with the brininess of the clams, brought together by the spicy and savory chile paste−infused beer broth. If you think the sausage recipe is too involved, you can substitute chorizo with additional lemongrass.
Active preparation time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 day, if preparing your own sausage
Serves: 4
Thai Sausage and Clams
2 stalks lemongrass
10 Kaffir lime leaves
8 cloves garlic
1 large peeled shallot
2 Thai chiles (or 1 jalapeño)
1" (25 mm) piece of peeled ginger
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 Tbs (30 ml) fish sauce
2−3 roots of cilantro (use stems if roots are unavailable)
½ Tbs brown sugar
Salt to taste
¾ lb (340 g) ground pork
¼ lb (113 g) ground pork fat
2 lb (907 g) clams (frozen Asari or fresh small clams in shell)
Doubanjiang Wheat Beer Broth
1 Tbs (15 ml) neutral oil (such as sunflower or canola)
4–6 Tbs fermented chili and bean paste (Doubanjiang)
12 fl oz (355 ml) wheat beer
1 loaf crusty bread (such as baguette), sliced on the bias
1 bunch Chinese chives, sliced into 1½" (38 mm) sticks
2 Tbs butter
Lemon wedges
1 bunch cilantro leaves
Cut off the top parts of lemongrass, reserving the bottom half of the stem. Remove the outer yellow layers until you reach the white-ish purple interior. Save the outer layers for soup stock. Chop the lemongrass into small pieces. Remove the ribs from the lime leaves. Add all the ingredients except the pork and pork fat to a food processor. Process until the ingredients become a fine paste. In a large bowl, mix the paste into the ground pork and pork fat, kneading the seasoning into meat. Fry a small piece of the mixture in a pan to taste for salt and add salt to the meat mixture if needed. Cover and let the sausage sit for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
When you’re ready to make the soup, clean the clams, removing any dead ones. Soak the clams in cold water for 20 minutes, allowing the sand to “spit out.” Remove the clams, inspecting for any remaining grit or dirt, and set aside.
Tear the sausage into bite-size pieces. In a shallow pot or deep sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the sausage pieces, allowing them to caramelize and develop a crust. After a few minutes, flip the sausage and add the clams. Allow them to fry a little in the oil, releasing the flavor from the shells. After a few minutes, add the Doubanjiang and shake the pan. Add the beer to deglaze the pan and cover. Let the sausage and clams steam for a few minutes.
Toast or broil the bread.
Remove the lid from the pot and remove any unopened clams. Add the chopped chives, butter, and a squeeze of lemon, if desired. Remove from the heat and distribute the sausage and clams evenly among bowls. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with the bread and a glass of wheat beer.
Beer Suggestions: Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat (Kansas City, Missouri), Lefèbvre Barbãr (Wallonia, Belgium), Oskar Blues Priscilla Wit (Lyons, Colorado).
PHOTO: MATT GRAVES