Chiang Mai Sausages with waterfowl

Name: Chiang Mai Sausages with waterfowl
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: About a dozen sausages
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 500 g Ground migratory bird meat geese, snow geese or ducks, coarse grind; 500 g 85% fat ground pork 75-85% fat — aim for 30-40% final fat in the total blend; 15 g Salt; 15 ml Fresh galangal chopped, 1 tablespoon — not ginger, it's different; 30 ml Fresh cilantro chopped, 2 tablespoons (stems + leaves); 30 ml Fish sauce (nam pla) 2 tablespoons — Squid Brand or Golden Boy; 7 unit Green onions or French shallots; 30 ml Fresh lemongrass chopped, 2 tablespoons (tender heart only); 12 unit Kaffir lime leaves 10 to 15 leaves, remove the central rib; 6 unit Garlic clove about 30 g, peeled; 7 unit Fresh Thai chilies 5 to 10 depending on heat tolerance — it's serious

A souvenir from a 2014 road trip through northern Thailand.

Prep45 min

Cook20 min

YieldAbout a dozen sausages

DifficultyEasy

theuplandcook.com/en/recipes/chiang-mai-sausage

Ingredients

Sausage blend

500 g — Ground migratory bird meat (geese, snow geese or ducks, coarse grind)
500 g — 85% fat ground pork (75-85% fat — aim for 30-40% final fat in the total blend)
15 g — Salt

Seasoning paste

15 ml — Fresh galangal (chopped, 1 tablespoon — not ginger, it's different)
30 ml — Fresh cilantro (chopped, 2 tablespoons (stems + leaves))
30 ml — Fish sauce (nam pla) (2 tablespoons — Squid Brand or Golden Boy)
7 — Green onions (or French shallots)
30 ml — Fresh lemongrass (chopped, 2 tablespoons (tender heart only))
12 — Kaffir lime leaves (10 to 15 leaves, remove the central rib)
6 — Garlic clove (about 30 g, peeled)
7 — Fresh Thai chilies (5 to 10 depending on heat tolerance — it's serious)

Steps

01Prep the meat
Pass the migratory bird meat and the pork separately through a meat grinder on the coarse plate. No grinder? Ask your butcher to do it. Refrigerate both ground meats while you make the seasoning paste — they need to stay very cold to bind well later.
02Make the seasoning paste
In a food processor (or a powerful blender), combine the salt, chopped galangal, fresh cilantro, fish sauce, roughly chopped green onions, chopped lemongrass (tender heart only — the rest is too fibrous), kaffir lime leaves (remove the central rib or it'll thread through the paste), peeled garlic and Thai chilies (with or without seeds depending on heat). Pulse for 10 to 15 seconds, add a splash of water, pulse another 30 seconds until you get a smooth semi-liquid paste.
03Combine meat and paste
In a large stainless steel bowl that's very cold, combine the ground bird meat and pork. Pour the seasoning paste over the top. Mix by hand for 4 to 5 minutes, kneading energetically, until the paste is evenly distributed and the mixture turns distinctly tacky. That tackiness is what gives you a juicy sausage.
04Mature 24 hours
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface (no air gap). Refrigerate 24 hours. This step is non-negotiable — the flavors need time to soak through, and the texture improves dramatically. The next day, pull it out 30 minutes before stuffing so the mix is malleable.
05Test the seasoning
Before stuffing, take a small patty of the mix and pan-fry it for 2 minutes. Taste. This is the only moment to adjust — fish sauce, salt, chili. Once it's in the casing, too late. Note that the flavors will keep developing after the final cook too.
06Prep the casings
Two hours before stuffing, soak the pork casings in a large bowl of warm water to desalt. After 30 minutes, change the water. Before using them, run water through the inside of each casing to rinse thoroughly and check for any holes.
07Stuff the sausages
Set up the sausage stuffer (or the grinder's stuffing attachment). Slide a casing onto the nozzle, accordioning it fully. Tie a knot at the end. Stuff at a steady pace, avoiding air pockets. Once the casing is filled, twist every 12 to 15 cm to form individual sausages. Count about a dozen sausages from this batch.
08Cook and serve
To serve, two options. On the grill: medium heat, 4 to 5 minutes per side, lightly pricking the sausages with a fork to prevent bursting. In the skillet: medium-low heat with a touch of vegetable oil, flip every 2 minutes, count 12 to 15 minutes total. Serve with jasmine rice, vinegared cucumber slices, and a bowl of nam jim sauce for dipping. No knife, no fork — fingers and chopsticks.

Spiral-coiled Thai Chiang Mai sausages with migratory birds, grilled to golden crust, perfumed with galangal and lemongrass

Chiang Mai Sausages with waterfowl

A souvenir from a 2014 road trip through northern Thailand.

Prep45 min

Cook20 min

YieldAbout a dozen sausages

LevelEasy

Ingredients

Sausage blend

Ground migratory bird meat, geese, snow geese or ducks, coarse grind1⅛ lb
85% fat ground pork, 75-85% fat — aim for 30-40% final fat in the total blend1⅛ lb
Salt15 g

Seasoning paste

Fresh galangal, chopped, 1 tablespoon — not ginger, it's different1 tbsp
Fresh cilantro, chopped, 2 tablespoons (stems + leaves)2 tbsp
Fish sauce (nam pla), 2 tablespoons — Squid Brand or Golden Boy2 tbsp
Green onions, or French shallots7
Fresh lemongrass, chopped, 2 tablespoons (tender heart only)2 tbsp
Kaffir lime leaves, 10 to 15 leaves, remove the central rib12
Garlic clove, about 30 g, peeled6
Fresh Thai chilies, 5 to 10 depending on heat tolerance — it's serious7

Steps

01
Pass the migratory bird meat and the pork separately through a meat grinder on the coarse plate. No grinder? Ask your butcher to do it. Refrigerate both ground meats while you make the seasoning paste — they need to stay very cold to bind well later.
02
In a food processor (or a powerful blender), combine the salt, chopped galangal, fresh cilantro, fish sauce, roughly chopped green onions, chopped lemongrass (tender heart only — the rest is too fibrous), kaffir lime leaves (remove the central rib or it'll thread through the paste), peeled garlic and Thai chilies (with or without seeds depending on heat). Pulse for 10 to 15 seconds, add a splash of water, pulse another 30 seconds until you get a smooth semi-liquid paste.
03
In a large stainless steel bowl that's very cold, combine the ground bird meat and pork. Pour the seasoning paste over the top. Mix by hand for 4 to 5 minutes, kneading energetically, until the paste is evenly distributed and the mixture turns distinctly tacky. That tackiness is what gives you a juicy sausage.
04
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface (no air gap). Refrigerate 24 hours. This step is non-negotiable — the flavors need time to soak through, and the texture improves dramatically. The next day, pull it out 30 minutes before stuffing so the mix is malleable.
05
Before stuffing, take a small patty of the mix and pan-fry it for 2 minutes. Taste. This is the only moment to adjust — fish sauce, salt, chili. Once it's in the casing, too late. Note that the flavors will keep developing after the final cook too.
06
Two hours before stuffing, soak the pork casings in a large bowl of warm water to desalt. After 30 minutes, change the water. Before using them, run water through the inside of each casing to rinse thoroughly and check for any holes.
07
Set up the sausage stuffer (or the grinder's stuffing attachment). Slide a casing onto the nozzle, accordioning it fully. Tie a knot at the end. Stuff at a steady pace, avoiding air pockets. Once the casing is filled, twist every 12 to 15 cm to form individual sausages. Count about a dozen sausages from this batch.
08
To serve, two options. On the grill: medium heat, 4 to 5 minutes per side, lightly pricking the sausages with a fork to prevent bursting. In the skillet: medium-low heat with a touch of vegetable oil, flip every 2 minutes, count 12 to 15 minutes total. Serve with jasmine rice, vinegared cucumber slices, and a bowl of nam jim sauce for dipping. No knife, no fork — fingers and chopsticks.

Waterfowl Wild duck Canada goose Asian Upland game birds

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