Love rice? Love Chinese food? Have access to Chinese sausage? Make this!
For some reason I was craving Chinese food, and I didn’t really want to go out somewhere. I had a package of Chinese sausage in my refrigerator, so I decided to do something with it. Truth to tell, I know nothing about Chinese sausage. I’d never had it before, but I’d spotted packages of it at my local Costco. In a shelf-stable package. It said it would keep for about a year. Meat? Really? A year on my pantry shelf? Hmmm. Well, I had put it in my refrigerator, where it had languished for at least 4-5 months. I went online and searched recipes, and decided on this one, that’s just slightly adapted from Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen.
So, first I followed the recipe directions for rinsing the rice. Usually I don’t bother, but in this recipe it said it was important, to wash off the starch, so the rice would not stick together. I must say, I was impressed with the fluffiness of the finished rice – it definitely was fluffy and didn’t stick together at all. So, the rinsed rice was put into a large frying pan (big, must have been an 11-inch one), water was added. Nothing else The sausage links are nestled into the rice and then turn on the heat. The recipe was specific about watching the pan for the first sign of bubbling around the edges. At that point you lower the heat, cover the pan and let it cook for exactly 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, you prepare the sauce that will go into the rice. You make the sauce with shallot and garlic, then add two kinds of soy sauce (or you can jerry-rig the dark one, see notes, although I didn’t add the suggested honey or molasses – it was sweet enough without it, for me anyway) and some dry sherry. And a bit of water. Once cooked, the rice has to sit (covered, no peeking) for 5 minutes. The I removed those sausage links (keeping the pot covered) and cut them up into little diagonal slices. Those were added to the sauce, then I poured the whole thing over the pan of white rice and stirred and fluffed like crazy. Then a tiny drizzle of sesame oil.
Green onions and cilantro were added as a garnish to the servings. Well, there was just one serving, mine. Oh my goodness, was it ever good. The sausage was a bit on the salty side, so I’m glad I used low-sodium soy sauce. The little bit of Asian sesame oil adds a really nice touch to it.
What’s GOOD: every little tiny morsel of this was good. Healthy? Oh, maybe not, but it sure was tasty. I tried not to overeat; I was very tempted to. I had ample leftovers, so they went into the freezer for another day when I feel I can have a heaping portion of rice! Loved the flavors throughout, the sherry, even, the cilantro, the soy/shallot/garlic sauce. All good. Delicious.
What’s NOT: can’t say there is anything that wasn’t good. It wasn’t hard to make at all. Uses two pans. I had all the ingredients on hand, so it was a fast meal to make. Could make it on the fly if I had last-minute guests, even.
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Chinese Sausage and Rice
Recipe: Adapted from Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen
Servings: 6
1 1/2 cups long grain rice — jasmine rice preferred
2 3/4 cups water
6 Chinese sausage links
SAUCE:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic — smashed
1 shallot — roughly chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce — use low-sodium if preferred
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce — see notes
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
TOPPINGS:
1/2 cup green onions — chopped
1/2 cup cilantro — chopped
NOTES: If you do not have dark soy sauce, substitute: with 2T regular soy sauce + 1 tsp honey or molasses.
1. Wash the raw rice grains fist. Fill a large pot with the rice and cold water to cover. Use your hands to swish the rice grains, loosening any extra starch and dirt. Rice (like beans) is a raw ingredient and it is important to wash and rinse. Washing also rids the rice of extra starch, which will give light, fluffy, airy rice – not heavy, sticky and starchy. Tip the pot and carefully pour out the water. Repeat two more times. Drain as much water as possible from the pot.
2. Measure and add in the 2 3/4 cups of water.
3. Snuggle the sausage in the rice grains. Turn the heat to high. When the water near the edge of the pot starts bubbling, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 18 minutes. Note: While the rice is cooking, make the Sauce.
4. When the rice is finished cooking, turn off heat and keep covered – no peeking Let it sit with the lid on for 5 minutes to finish the steaming process.Remove the sausage links and cut them (carefully, they’re hot) into diagonal slices about 1/2 or 3/4″ thick.
5. SAUCE: In a small saucepan, add oil, garlic and shallot. Turn heat to low and let the garlic and shallot cook slowly until they begin to brown but not burn. Use a slotted spoon and remove the shallots and garlic and discard, leaving the flavored oil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add shallot garlic mixture back in. Add the sausage and stir it thoroughly, then pour the sauce over the rice and stir to combine.
6. Serve with green onions and cilantro on top.
Per Serving: 302 Calories; 23g Fat (60.0% calories from fat); 14g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 897mg Sodium; 5g Total Sugars; 0mcg Vitamin D; 18mg Calcium; trace Iron; 107mg Potassium; 42mg Phosphorus.
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