How To Make Twah Go (Cambodian Sausage) – Khmer Food With Elissa

A sausage is a cylindrical meat product made from seasoned minced meat stuffed in a casing typically made from animal intestine. Sausage making is a traditional food preservation technique and has been around for more than 4,000 years. Every country and region has its own version of sausage which differs in ingredients, flavor, and the preservation method. Today, you can find sausage varieties made from poultry, fish, seafood, meat substitutes or even vegetables. Sausage is also used as an ingredient in many dishes.

If you love sausage, you will surely be excited to make this traditional Cambodian sausage called twah go. It is a moist and juicy beef sausage with a delicious blend of sweet, sour, and herby flavors. In Cambodia, twah go is typically eaten with steamed rice but, you can eat it just the way you eat your favorite sausage variety. Twah go is perfect for any meal of the day.

Ingredients:

This recipe takes about 30 minutes to make. The sausage links need to be sundried for at least a day. Serves 24 sausage links.

Filling:
• 6 pounds of beef, minced
• ⅓ cup of cooked white rice
• ⅓ cup of ground toasted rice
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 ½ tbsp ground dried galangal, toasted
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 ½ tbsp ground dried kaffir lime leaves
• 1 ½ tbsp chicken bouillon powder
• 1 ½ tbsp salt
• 1/2 cup of sugar

Casing:
• 1.5 pounds of fresh pork intestine
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions:

Put all the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Mix all the ingredients well by hand.
Set aside the filling mixture while you clean the pork intestine.
Using a sharp knife or a pair of kitchen scissors, carefully trim off the excess white membrane on the pork intestine.
Rinse the pig intestine under running water several times until the water runs clear.
Place the cleaned intestine in a bowl and rub it with salt.
Set aside for a few minutes or until you’re ready to stuff the casing.
To assemble the sausage, attach one end of the casing to a funnel or a sausage stuffing tube.
Press the meat filling into the tube until the entire intestine is stuffed leaving about 1-inch of space on both ends.
Secure each end of the sausage by tying it with a plastic string.
Using plastic strings divide the sausage into 6-inch links.
Poke holes through the intestine using a bamboo skewer or toothpick.
Dry the sausage links under the sun for at least a day before cooking.

Ideas And Tips:

There are several ways to cook the sausages. You can fry them, grill them on a gas or charcoal grill or broil them in the oven. Remember to remove the plastic strings before cooking.

Because there is rice in the filling mix, fermentation takes place during sun-drying which creates the sour taste in the sausages. It is recommended to sun-dry the sausages not more than 3 days. Exceeding will make the sausages too sour. It can also cause the growth of molds and harmful bacteria. You can store the sausages in the freezer after drying them to stop the fermentation process.

To make moist and juicy sausages, it is recommended using a ratio of 75% lean meat to 25% fat.

If you can’t find fresh pig intestine, you can use dried sausage casing.

You may substitute chicken bouillon powder with fish sauce or soy sauce.

If you want a dipping sauce for the sausages, put ½ cup of sugar, ¼ cup of fish sauce, ¼ cup of vinegar, 1 tbsp minced garlic, and 1 finely chopped red chili in a saucepot. Simmer until the sugar dissolves, then cool completely before using.

images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3Z42YasNKw