Sometimes, a good fried rice recipe makes a meal even more satisfying. If you have leftover rice, make this salty and savory Chinese sausage fried rice. Whip this up in 15 minutes using Chinese sausage, dried mini shrimp, vegetables, and a few seasonings.
What Is Chinese Sausage Fried Rice?
Chinese fried rice has been a staple in Chinese takeouts and dim sum restaurants. It comes in several varieties, depending on the meat and vegetables used. That’s the beauty of making fried rice since you can choose your favorite ingredients and season it just the way you like it.
The highlight of this fried rice recipe is the Chinese sausage, also known as lap cheong or lap chong (腊肠). It is a type of dried cured meat made from pork lean meat and pork fat. You will enjoy its slightly chewy and soft texture, as well as its sweet and savory taste.
Fried rice commonly uses leftover rice because you want the dish to be dry and not mushy. Apart from rice and sausage, you will also need dried mini shrimp, corn, carrots, peas, and seasonings like light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and salt. It is the perfect side dish to complete your lunch or dinner.
If you love rice recipes, you should also try these delicious recipes:
- Lo Mai Gai Recipe (Lotus Leaf Sticky Rice Chicken)
- Traditional Chinese Egg Fried Rice (蛋炒饭)
- Yang Chow Fried Rice (Yangzhou Fried Rice 扬州炒饭)
- One-Pot Taro Rice (Yam Rice) Recipe
- Shrimp Fried Rice (Din Tai Fung Style)
- Sardine Rice Balls Bento
Where To Get Chinese Sausage (Lap Cheong)
The best place to find lap cheong is in Asian grocery stores or Chinese supermarkets. You can also find it on Amazon or in the international aisle of some local grocery stores. If you have extra time, you can make your own with my Homemade Chinese sausage recipe using only 5 ingredients.
You will need pork shoulder and fat, sugar, salt, baijiu 白酒, and light soy sauce. In this recipe, the pork fat is marinated with sugar, while the pork lean meat is marinated with salt, baijiu, and light soy sauce. The marinated pork meat and fat are combined, placed in a sausage casing, boiled for a few seconds, and dried under the sun for a week.
What Type Of Rice Is Best For Fried Rice?
The success of the dish’s texture depends on the type of rice used. Although any type of rice works for the recipe, there are a few preferred rice conditions for a better-tasting fried rice. Here are my top suggestions for the best rice for fried rice:
- Use leftover rice: It is best to use leftover rice that is at least a day old and has been chilled in the fridge. Rice that has been chilled and dehydrated gives the best dry texture for fried rice. This also ensures that the rice grains are easily separated as you cook it in the pan.
- Avoid freshly cooked rice: Since a day old rice is the best option, you want to avoid freshly cooked rice. Newly cooked rice does not have the dry texture we are going for because it tends to be moist, steaming, and mushy. It will be a lot harder to separate the grains with its mushy texture.
- Go for medium or long-grain white rice: Fried rice always uses white rice, either long or medium-grain rice. You can use jasmine, basmati, or sinandomeng rice. I don’t really recommend sticky rice since this will yield a chewy and sticky texture rather than a dried and fluffy one.
- Alternatives And Suggestions: If in case you only have freshly cooked rice, you can try to change the texture by allowing it to chill and dry out in the fridge for a few hours. Before storing it in the fridge, let it cool down and separate the grains with your hands. Another way to dehydrate freshly cooked rice is by baking it in the oven for a few minutes. Aside from freshly cooked rice, you can use ready-cooked rice from convenience stores or grocery stores. Store-bought cooked rice will be a lot more expensive, but it is an excellent alternative without the steamed and mushy texture.
The Ingredients For Chinese Sausage Fried Rice
The main ingredients that I don’t recommend replacing are the Chinese sausages and leftover rice. The ingredients for vegetables and seasonings are replaceable with several excellent alternatives. Here’s what you need to know about the ingredients for Chinese sausage fried rice.
- Chinese sausage: These are prepared by cutting the meat into small pieces, either thin slices or cubes. Before adding it to the rice, the sausages should be cooked first by stir-frying. The taste of Chinese sausage is different from other types of cured meat since it has a sweet, savory, and pungent taste. If you have no choice but to replace this, use salami, pepperoni, bacon, or regular sausage.
- Optional meat varieties: Aside from Chinese sausage, you can add more meat variety with the following suggestions:
- Chinese dried cured ham
- Chinese-style roast pork
- Chinese cured pork bell
- Pork belly or pork belly char siew
- Char siu pork
- Ham and BBQ meats
- Luncheon meat or Spam
- Scrambled eggs
- Chicken or duck meat
- Dried mini shrimp: Dried mini shrimp is an excellent addition to the rice for a taste of seafood and umaminess. These are small to medium peeled dried shrimps. Other alternatives to dried shrimp are dried shrimp flakes, fresh or frozen shrimp, and dried scallops.
- Vegetables: As I always say, it is best to use fresh vegetables as much as possible to ensure a crisp and top-notch taste. I used corn, carrots, and peas. If you want a shortcut preparation of these, go for frozen pre-packed mixed vegetables with corn, diced carrots, and peas. If using frozen vegetables, you do not need to thaw and make sure to cook it on high heat to let the water evaporate.
- Corn: Corn has a sweet and milky taste. Use corn kernels in packs or cans and drain the liquid thoroughly. An excellent alternative to corn kernels is whole corn. Scrape off the corn from the cob by using a knife.
- Carrots: I also diced the carrots into small pieces to evenly distribute it throughout the rice. You can also cut it into thin strips, as long as the pieces are small and thin for faster cooking time.
- Peas: Add a pop of green and crisp texture with green peas. Use fresh or frozen green peas. As an alternative, you can use chopped green beans instead.
- Optional vegetables and non-meat ingredients: For more nutritious ingredients and to balance out the meat, use the following ingredients:
- Bamboo shoots
- Bell peppers
- Scallions or green onions
- Finely chopped cabbage
- Diced mushrooms (shiitake, dried shiitake, button)
- Minced garlic
- Fried tofu cubes
- Mung bean sprouts
- Chopped regular onions
- Cooked rice: As mentioned, use a day old rice that is well-separated and a bit dried out. Before adding this to the pan, separate the grains with your hands to make it easier to pan-fry and stir. The grains should be well-separated in order for the meat, vegetables, and seasonings to evenly spread out.
- Seasonings: I seasoned the dish with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and salt.
- Dark and light soy sauce: Generally, dark soy sauce is mainly used for its dark color and slightly sweet taste. Its consistency is thicker and darker than light soy sauce. On the other hand, the dish relies on light soy sauce for its salty and umami taste. Aside from dark and light soy sauce, you can also use tamari, liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Oyster sauce: The taste of oyster sauce is described as caramel-like, sweet, and savory. It is similar to the taste of soy sauce and barbecue sauce. Some excellent alternatives to oyster sauce are hoisin sauce, teriyaki sauce, kecap manis, Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce and sugar, oyster-flavored sauce, or fish sauce.
- Salt: Salt enhances the overall dish by bringing out the flavors and aroma. It helps bring a bland-tasting dish to life. Use pink salt, table salt, kosher salt, or sea salt.
- Optional seasonings: If you want to play around with the overall taste, try the following seasonings:
- Chinese five-spice powder
- Oil or butter
- White or black pepper powder
- Shaoxing wine
- Sesame oil
- Chicken or vegetable bouillon powder
Why Use A Traditional Wok For Chinese Sausage Fried Rice
You have probably seen a wok in restaurants or on TV where the cook sways it rigorously while flipping the rice in the air. This is not just for show, but it actually has a reason why wok is commonly used for stir-fried and fried dishes like fried rice. Apart from a wok’s large and wide shape, it has the capacity to cook on high heat.
In fact, fried rice heavily relies on high heat to cook it easily without sticking and burning. The rice is cooked on high heat as you continuously stir and shake the wok. To use a wok effectively, spread out the oil and heat it until it becomes extremely hot or until it smokes.
If you don’t have a wok, that’s okay since you can simply use a non-stick pan or cast iron pan. As long as the rice is dried out and is cooked on high heat, any pan will do for Chinese sausage fried rice.
Use These Kitchen Tools And Ingredients
Here’s what to prepare for kitchen tools and ingredients:
Kitchen Tools:
- Non-stick pan or wok
- Spatula
- Knife and chopping board
Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 pieces of Chinese sausage (chopped into bits)
- 1/4 cup of dried mini shrimp
- 1/2 cup of corn kernels
- 1/2 cup of diced carrots
- 1/2 cup of green peas
- A bowl of cooked leftover white rice
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, I prefer to use peanut oil
- 1 tsp of light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp of dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp of oyster sauce
- Salt to taste
How To Make Chinese Sausage Fried Rice In 5 Steps
Prepare the meat and vegetables by cutting them into small pieces. Keep in mind it is better to have them in small bits or cubes in order to cook them fast. Fry everything together and season it.
Check out my Instagram or TikTok tutorial videos to learn more about the steps. Have you finished making this recipe? Let us know how you customized this dish by leaving a comment in the comments section.
- Chop the Chinese sausage into small pieces.
- Spread 1 tablespoon oil around your wok and stir-fry the chopped sausages with dried mini shrimp.
- Now, turn on high heat. Add corn, diced carrots, and peas. Continue stirring and stir-frying the ingredients until cooked.
- Prepare the white rice by separating the grains. Then, add it to the wok.
- Season with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry until the seasonings are well-distributed.
Chinese Sausage Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 pieces of Chinese sausage chopped into bits
- 1/4 cup of dried mini shrimp
- 1/2 cup of corn kernels
- 1/2 cup of diced carrots
- 1/2 cup of green peas
- A bowl of cooked leftover white rice
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil I prefer to use peanut oil
- 1 tsp of light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp of dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp of oyster sauce
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Chop the Chinese sausage into small pieces.
- Spread 1 tablespoon oil around your wok and stir-fry the chopped sausages with dried mini shrimp.
- Now, turn on high heat. Add corn, diced carrots, and peas. Continue stirring and stir-frying the ingredients until cooked.
- Prepare the white rice by separating the grains. Then, add it to the wok.
- Season with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry until the seasonings are well-distributed.
