A sweet sausage for all seasons

A sweet sausage for all seasons

Versatile kunchieng is an essential ingredient in every Thai cook's cupboard

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
A sweet sausage for all seasons
TASTY TREAT: Kunchieng nai khai katha is a Vietnamese dish that has other ingredients with the sausage on top of an omelette.

When it gets to mealtime and you want to cook up something for yourself that is easy to prepare and won't take too much time, the first thing you probably do is look in the refrigerator to see what is there.

Eggs are one good solution. Fry up one or two and set them on top of some hot rice, season the dish with a little name plaa phrik (chopped chillies in nam plaa) and you are all set. If you have some of the sweet Chinese sausage called kunchieng to fry and put on top, you will have a meal that is quick and easy to make and very satisfying.

Kunchieng is something that you should always have in the house because it has many uses and there is no need to worry about it going bad. The sausages are safe as they contain no preservatives or artificial colouring. All you have to do is fry them or include them as an ingredient in a dish. They are also inexpensive and easy to buy.

These sweet sausages have been made for a very long time. They were originally made by pork butchers using leftover fresh pork. There were also merchants whose only business was the production of kunchieng, and later factories that produced the sausages on an industrial scale and sent them for sale all over Thailand and nearby countries.

All kunchieng are made and seasoned in roughly similar ways, but in an effort to give their brand a special character and gain popularity, some producers take an individual approach to selecting the pork and seasoning the sausages. There are several ways of curing kunchieng, but the most widely used involves setting them out in the sun. The sun must be very strong, and the sausages should spend at least three days being sun-cured. This technique is most often used by small producers. Electric or gas ovens can also be used, the same method used to roast ducks and Chinese red pork.

There is another variety of kunchieng that is somewhat different from the standard type. Cantonese kunchieng is easy to recognise because it is dry and appears more wrinkled and shrivelled than the usual kind. There are two variants, one with liver mixed in and the other with added blood. Both also contain more seasonings and Chinese liquor than standard kunchieng.

HANGING OUT: Kunchieng at Kuang Hoke Kee on Plaeng Nam Road. Photos: Suthon Sukphisit

Cantonese kunchieng can be hard to get hold of nowadays. In the past there were three shops along Yaowarat Road that offered it, but now only one remains. It is called Tang Kuang Khee Hieng and is easy to recognise because it also displays dried smoked ducks and pork liver stuffed with pork fat.

Kuang Hoke Kee is another old kunchieng shop, located on Pleang Nam Road off Yaowarat. The owner, Mr Thotsaphon, explained that it has been in business since his father's day, more than 55 years ago.

"At that time the pork had to be chopped by hand using a big cleaver called a meed pang taw," he recalled. "The meat had to be from the pork hip, and pork fat was mixed in, too, otherwise the sausages got very hard when they were dried. The seasonings used were aromatic spices used in Chinese cooking like suang jia (Sichuan pepper), star anise and cinnamon, together with Chinese liquor, salt and sugar."

His shop has a heat-drying room that uses charcoal to maintain a constant temperature.

"We bake them for at least three days. Roasting them this way gives them a good flavour and there is no dust," Mr Thotsaphon said.

"Our shop has different kinds of kunchieng for customers to choose. We have some that contain extra pork fat. People like them because they are softer than other kinds. Then we make sausages for use by shops that sell khao muu daeng (rice with red Chinese pork in sauce). These are bigger and longer than the usual ones and contain extra pork fat. When they are hanging in the shop's display case, they look more appetising than the usual, smaller kunchieng."

The only way to cook kunchieng is to fry them, but there is a technique for making them turn out especially well. Before frying, boil them for two or three minutes to cook and soften them. When frying, it is normal for the outside of the sausages to brown or burn easily because of the sugar they contain. Boiling them first cooks them through. When frying, there is no need to use too much oil as they contain pork fat that will melt during the cooking.

Dishes that use kunchieng include khao naa kai (pieces of chicken meat that have been marinated and fried with garlic and ginger in a sauce that includes oyster oil, soy sauce and thickening flour), khao raad naa kaeng karee (a mild curry over rice), po pia sote (fresh spring rolls) or just the sausage itself, fried and eaten with rice soup.

There are plenty of other possibilities. One good choice is khao phat nam phrik kapi (rice fried with the chilli dip sauce called nam phrik kapi). Rice is fried with extra nam phrik kapi left over from an earlier meal. Some fried kunchieng can be cut into small cubes and sprinkled on top. To make it even better, sliver some sour taling pling fruit to add to the rice, and you will have a special and ultra-delicious version of a familiar dish.

Another easy one-dish meal enriched by kunchieng can be made by cooking a soft omelette with a little onion added and setting it on top of some hot rice. Chop some fried kunchieng into small cubes and sprinkle them on top. Nothing could be simpler, and the result is a tasty lunch that is quick and easy to prepare.

Kunchieng is an all-purpose sausage will often come in handy. Make sure the sausages are always in the refrigerator or kitchen cabinet. You will be ready to start cooking when the craving strikes for one of the many dishes that showcase its special flavour and character.

SWEET AND SAVOURY: Cantonese-style kunchieng at Tang Kuang Khee Hieng in Yaowarat. They appear more wrinkled than the more familiar type.

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