Hmong Sausage with Sticky Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups white glutinous (sticky) rice
• Water, for soaking and steaming
• 900g (2 lb) pork shoulder, with some fat, cut into chunks
• 3 stalks lemongrass, tender inner part only, minced
• 1/3 cup cilantro root and stems, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup green onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Thai chilies, finely chopped (more or less to taste)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• About 2 meters natural hog casings

Before you cook

• Soak the sticky rice in a bowl of cold water for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Soak the hog casings in a bowl of cold water for at least 1 hour, then flush the inside of each casing under running water.
• Mince the lemongrass, cilantro root and stems, green onion, garlic, and chilies and combine them in a small bowl.
• Cut the pork shoulder into chunks that will fit your grinder, keeping some fat attached.
• Grind the pork chunks through a meat grinder fitted with a coarse plate into a large bowl.
• Add the minced aromatics, fish sauce, salt, sugar, and black pepper to the ground pork.
• Mix the sausage filling with your hands for 2 to 3 minutes, until it feels tacky and the seasonings are evenly distributed.
• Fit a sausage stuffer with the soaked casing, leaving a few inches hanging off the end and tying a knot at the tip.
• Pack the seasoned pork into the stuffer and feed it through, filling the casing steadily while keeping it snug but not tightly packed.
• Twist the filled casing into links about 15cm long, twisting alternate links in opposite directions so they hold their shape.
• Prick each link a few times with a needle to let trapped air escape.

Steps

1. Drain the soaked sticky rice and rinse it once under cold water.
2. Line a steamer basket with cheesecloth and spread the rice in an even layer.
3. Set the steamer over a pot of boiling water, cover, and steam the rice for 25 to 30 minutes, until the grains are tender and translucent.
4. Remove the rice from the steamer, fluff it with a fork, and keep it covered to stay warm.
5. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat.
6. Lay the sausage links on the grill and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the casings are browned and the inside reaches 71°C (160°F).
7. Move the cooked sausages to a cutting board and let them rest for 5 minutes.
8. Slice the sausages on a diagonal into bite-sized pieces.
9. Serve the sliced sausage hot alongside the warm sticky rice, pinched into small balls by hand for dipping.