Lap cheong is a popular sweet sausage that is made with pork and pork fat, seasoned with soy sauce and rice wine. This savory and sweet combination is so popular that it has spread to many regions in Asia, such as Vietnam and the Philippines. It is sometimes mistaken for the native Macau sausage (also known as Chinese sausage) and is used instead of it. Most Asian supermarkets sell Chinese sausages, which are dry, cured, and smoked, and can last for more than a year if unopened (check the expiration date on the package).The driest of the group is so firm that soaking the links in water, as you would with hard Chinese bacon, is the best way to bring out its flavors and textures.
Because of its salty flavor, sausages are used sparingly with other ingredients to balance out the taste. There are many varieties of sausages in China, such as yun chang made with duck liver and xiang chang which is similar to lap cheong but even sweeter. In fact, a common meal in many Chinese restaurants is duck eggs with sausages and rice; sausages are steamed over rice. Due to its high fat and sugar content, this type of Chinese sausage browns quickly and produces a lot of lard, making it an ideal component in stir fry. I remember my mother once forced a close family friend to take a whole Chinese duck to the barbecue on the plane when she came to visit me at university.
Chinese sausage is used as an ingredient in many dishes in the southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Hunan, as well as in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Lap cheong is often eaten during the Chinese New Year, with lap being the name of the winter sacrifice and the last month of the Chinese year. To get as much fat as possible from Chinese sausages, add slices to a wok and cook slowly over medium-low heat. Open packages or leftover Chinese sausages should be placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Now that I know what this delicious Chinese sausage is called, I'm going to stock up on some! These sausages can be found almost everywhere in Asia; drying meat has been a preservation method since ancient times. The important Chinese Thai community uses it in several Chinese dishes, as well as some Thai dishes such as Yam Kun Chiang, a Thai salad made with this sausage.
