Lao sausage, also known as Laotian sausage / Sai Oua / Sai Ua or Sai Gork / Sai Gok / Sai Kok or Sai Krok, usually refers to a popular type of Lao sausage made from coarsely chopped fatty pork seasoned with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, cilantro, chillies, garlic, salt, sticky rice and fish sauce. Lao sausage is a broad term used to describe the local variant of Lao style sausages found in Laos, Northern and Northeastern Thailand.
Sai Oua vs Sai Gork
There are two main style of Lao style sausage found in the region namelySai Oua and Sai Gork. Sai Oua is an ancient Lao word for sausage, literally saioua. Sai Oua is a spicy sausage originating from Luang Prabang, Laos. Luang Prabang was once the royal capital and seat of power of the Kingdom of Lan Xang. The ancient city of Luang Prabang is considered to be the cradle of Lao culture and cuisine. At the height of its power, Luang Prabang's influence stretches from the borders of Sipsongpanna to Steung Treng, from the eastern border along the Annamite Range with Vietnam to the western border Khorat Plateau and its sister kingdom of Lan Na There are two types of Sai Oua in Laos. Sai Oua Moo or pork sausage, literally saiouamoo. Sai Oua Kwai or water buffalo sausage, literally saiouakwai The traditional recipe for Sai Oua Moo served to Laotian royalties can be found in a collection of hand written recipes from Phia Sing, the king's personal chef and master of ceremonies. Phia Sing's hand written recipes were complied and published for the first time in 1981. Although the ingredients for Sai Oua and Sai Gork are mainly the same. Sai Gork also known as "soured Lao sausage", which uses cooked Lao sticky rice as an additional ingredient in the filling. The Sai Gork is then allowed to "sour" or ferment at room temperature for several days. This style of Lao sausage can also be found in Northern and Northeastern Thailand where the Lao cultural and culinary influence have reached. Other types of Lao sausages are "Mam" and "Sai Gork Leuat".
