Sai Ua
Sus scrofa domesticus · Meat
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Sai ua is the fragrant grilled pork sausage of northern Thailand — a fresh, coarse coil of ground pork worked through with lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaf, garlic, shallot and a red-curry-style chilli paste, then grilled over charcoal until the casing blisters and the herbs bloom. Aromatic and herb-forward rather than smoky, it is a signature of Lanna (Chiang Mai) cooking, sold sizzling in coils at markets and sliced into rounds with sticky rice.
Picking a good onedrag
Fresh-made: a plump coil, taut and fragrantOff: slack and slimy, sour or grey-green
Cold and sealedBuy itRead the label: sai ua is sold both raw and ready-grilled. A raw coil is marked cook before eating and Keep Refrigerated. Buy it cold, keep it cold, cook it soon.
The label and the chillCold and sealed, the date now only days off
Casing and feelTaut, faintly moist from the pack, nothing clings
Colour and herb fleckingEven gold-red, the cut face a shade duller
Smell at the endHerbs quieter, garlic leading, nothing sour beneath