Search the luggage of a Thai person traveling abroad, and it’s highly likely that you’ll discover various items of food. Rolled in a newspaper or a piece of cloth, hidden deep in their bags, few Thai students will venture forth without a jar of their favorite roasted chili jam, while Thai housewives are often accompanied by their preferred brand of fermented shrimp paste. Both are probably carrying a couple of fermented Thai sausages as well.
You see, the intense and defined flavors of Thai cuisine – harmonically coming together to create a rich whole – are simply irreplaceable. Thai people will not survive happily without their beloved Thai food.
Naem is a fermented sausage made with pork, pork skins, cooked sticky rice (glutinous), fresh garlic, salt, sugar and bird’s eye chilies. The sausage is wrapped in banana leaves or synthetic casings, and fermented for 3-5 days at about 30 degrees (C) and 50% humidity. The fermentation process enables the growth of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, mostly lactobacilli, which accounts for the sourness of the sausage. The salt acts as an inhibitor – preventing the meat from going rotten, allowing the lactic acid bacteria and yeasts to feed on the rice and sugar, and fermenting the meat to perfection.
Naem is usually eaten with sliced ginger, chopped shallots, peanuts, bird’s eye chilies and spring onions. The fresh shallots give the dish a sweet heat that harmonizes well with the sourness of the naem.
Naem is also used in many recipes. Some of the more well-known include fried rice with naem, and naem fried with eggs.
Whether enjoyed on their own, or used in cooking, Thai sausages are packed with flavors!
So, for you – Thai people living abroad – and also for you – the lover of Thai food – I present this step-by-step tutorial on how to prepare a homemade fermented Thai sausage.
Making Fermented Thai Pork Sausage Recipe (แหนมหมู ; naem moo)
Hanuman
Naem is a fermented sausage made with pork, pork skins, cooked sticky rice (glutinous), fresh garlic, salt, sugar and bird’s eye chilies. The sausage is wrapped in banana leaves or synthetic casings, and fermented for 3-5 days at about 30 degrees (C) and 50% humidity. The fermentation process enables the growth of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, mostly lactobacilli, which accounts for the sourness of the sausage. The salt acts as an inhibitor – preventing the meat from going rotten, allowing the lactic acid bacteria and yeasts to feed on the rice and sugar, and fermenting the meat to perfection.
40fresh bird’s eye chili (kee noo suan) (พริกขี้หนูสวนสด)
Instructions
Trim and discard the fat from the pork, leaving only lean red meat.
Mince the pork meat. I use an old-fashioned heavy duty manual meat grinder to do the job, and rarely rely on the butcher for help.
Clean the pork skin by rubbing it vigorously with rough sea salt and white vinegar. Wash with running water. Repeat as necessary until the skin is clean and smooth.
Cook the skin in boiling water until the skin become transparent and breaks easily when pinched. This can take up to 40 minutes.
Shred the skin into thin strips of approximately 2 mm wide and 4 cm long.
In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients: the pork meat, skin, garlic, rice, salt, sugar and MSG. Work everything with your hands until the mixture is well and evenly mixed.
Depending on the size of the sausage you are making, arrange the pork mixture on one corner of a 20 x 20 cm banana leaf. Top with bird’s eye chilies, and roll as shown in the photo. If you do not have access to banana leaves, you may use plastic wraps to encase the sausage.
Allow to ferment for 3 to 5 days at about 30 degrees C and 50% humidity.
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The dish was introduced to me by a street vendor in forsaken part of town some twenty years ago. Auntie Yai was a true character. She was wearing intensive makeup and I still remember her talkative hilarious manner. I and other customers waiting in line were regularly subjected to nonstop “interrogations” or “interviews”. I must admit I enjoyed the peek into other people lives while waiting over an hour for her mouth watering curried rice croquettes. I loved how the pungent, vibrant swirl of ginger was setting off the fermented pork sourness just perfectly, how the nutty crunch of those peanuts was balanced by the vivid tone of fresh herbs.
Seasoned rice dishes have been a staple of rice-consuming societies almost since the first grains were cultivated. Adapted according to local resources, traditions and individual preferences, seasoned rice dishes are relished and savored across all walks of life. Within Siamese society, these dishes offer insight into the flavor instincts and eating habits across all demographics, revealing which food items were locally available and valued.
In this delicious seasoned rice recipe from the kitchens of the daughter of King Chulalongkorn, Princess Yaovabha Bongsanid (พระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าเยาวภาพงศ์สนิท) (1884-1934), the Princess uses a variety of common preserved and inexpensive ingredients, clearly drawing inspiration from the cuisine of the Central Plains with nods to the rural and coastal living atmosphere.
Slices of firm pork fat and pork liver are alternately layered on top of one another and tied into bite-sized bundles using green threads made […]
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Practical and kitchen-tested recipes with a mix of theory, history, psychology, and Siamese culture tidbits.
Access to Thaifoodmaster’s constantly growing library of prime professional classes, articles, recipes and videos on Siamese culinary topics, available nowhere else in English.
Gain access to NEW MONTHLY masterclasses as they become available.
1-1 support from Hanuman to help you achieve your professional Thai culinary goals
The opportunity to join a monthly live two-hour videoconference where I can answer your questions.
one year access for the price of 3 days in-person training.
You will get everything you need to:
When you design or build a new menu for an event or restaurant or even prepare for dinner with friends.
Finally !
Master your Thai cooking skills and expand your repertoire.