Dried Chinese sausage (aka lap cheong or lap chong), which the Thai call kun chiang (กุนเชียง), is widely used in Thai cuisine. It was also a staple in our house.
When I was a kid, my nanny would cut a few links of kun chiang into thin diagonal slices and saute them in a pan just to crisp up the outsides. A portion of glistening, perfectly seared pieces of aromatic dried sausage would then go on top of steamed Jasmine rice followed by a couple of glugs of Maggi sauce.
That was usually how my nanny got me to wear a skirt from time to time or sit still long enough for her to braid or curl my hair in an attempt to turn little Leela into something that vaguely resembled a girl.
As for the rest of the seared kun chiang pieces, she would turn them into a simple spicy salad, Yam Kun Chiang (ยำกุนเชียง), for the older members of the family. The salad has been a favorite in our family for many years. It can be eaten by itself as a first course. It’s also great as an entrée served with rice or plain rice porridge. For my grandfather, kun chiang salad and a glass of frosty cold Singha beer form a celestial match. I’ve been known to put Yam Kun Chiang inside a split baguette and eat it like a Banh Mi sandwich.
This salad couldn’t be simpler to make. The only part that takes any effort at all would be searing the sausage pieces. Kun Chiang is both sweet and fatty; care needs to be taken in making sure that the sausage is not over-caramelized or over-crisped.
Spicy Chinese Sausage Salad: Yam Kun Chiang
(Serves 4)
Printable Version
4 links (300 g) of dried chinese sausage (lap cheong or lap chong), sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1 English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3-4 fresh bird’s eye chillis, finely chopped or cut into very thin slices
1/2 cup loosely-packed fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Lime juice, to taste
Fish sauce, to taste
That looks fantastic! I adore Chinese sausage and I use it in rice a lot because it adds so much flavor. I have never had it in a salad, but I am going to give it a try!!
Awesome salad! Would love to try Chinese sausage sometime soon.
I LOVE Chinese sausage. This salad looks mighty good. I have a pack in the freezer right now. I think I’ll cook some up tonight.
what a delicious looking salad – there are so many varieties of sausage I find in the different areas of chinatown – I wouldnt know what to choose..
I’ve never tried Chinese sausage. I love the use of the chillis in the salad!
I have never tried the sausage, but I will go on a hunt in China town this week. Looks fantastic. Nothing tastes like the food we ate growing up, eh?
That sounds really flavoursome. I love the idea of your nanny bribing you with food to sit still!
this looks so easy and the lime juice and fish sauce sounds like a yummy combination
This looks fantastic, and I can imagine what a delicious combination of refreshing flavors are competing for superiority in your mouth. Do you have any recommendations on brands of Chinese sausage? Some of the varieties I’ve seen look like they have a half life of a Mickey D’s hamburger based on the preservatives in them.
My husband is obsessed with snake head, I see we’ll have to be on the lookout for the Thai sausage made with that fish.
You’re on vacation in Bangkok and still providing quality blog posts. Much respect!
My family used to take pork Chinese Sausages (lighter purple one), chop them almost to a brunoise, and fry them up in a pan to render out the fat and crisp them. Then, drained, we added them to salads in lieu of crumbled bacon.
Aww. Delicious food to go with fond memories! I gotta say, the sausage with rice and maggi sounds like it would hit the spot now, hehe
I haven’t had Chinese Sausage since I was a kid and remember it being SO good! My mom always sauteed it with some cabbage like a warm salad.
Love chinese sausage! I’ve never used it in salads though, looks and sounds great!
Wow, Those images bring water in my mouth. Great blog here you have.
eek! To be honest, I’m not a big fan of chinese sausages…but I would use chorizo sausages in there…I like the flavor combinations!
You just had to tease us with a photo of coriander root. I swear if I ever saw that in Chicago, I’d buy a whole bushel.
Simple AND spicy! It doesn’t get any better than that :-p
Yummie, love the sausage, and never had in salad…have to try it!
Made this last night and it was AWESOME – so tasty, we’re doing a repeat tonight to make sure it was truly that spectacular.
ohhh. I like to eat my sausages with sticky rice. That used to be my afternoon snack growing up.
drool. i just had lunch and i’m still hungry. this looks fabulous!
I recently bought a pack of Chinese sausages, but doubted whether they are กุนเชียง. You verified it for me. THANKS
I can’t eat nitrites. Over the years I’ve developed a headache reaction to this preservative. Can anyone suggest a substitute because this salad looks great.
Thanks.