Here it is…this sausage is not authentic. No authentic Thai restaurant would serve this sausage. Hell, most sausage houses may not serve it (it is mostly chicken, after all). However, it was not my goal to set out on an Issan sausage quest, but rather to make a sausage with my favorite Thai flavors. Now that the caveats are out there, let us get back to the action.

A word that I have heard a lot of lately is “funk” in describing food. While this  term is generally undescribed I can only assume that it is not Bootsy Collins funk, but perhaps the funk of fermenation. In Thai cuisine, the leading funk players are fish sauce and shrimp paste. However, for my tastes, the flavors in Thai cuisine that resonate most with me are the bright acidic flavors, not the deep fermented funk. For this reason, despite the inclusion of fish sauce, the real star of this sausage is the brightness. Continue reading »