These Chinese sausage waffles have that freshly baked bread aroma from the yeast. Layered on that is the sweet umami character of the Chinese sausage or lap xuong in Vietnamese. These pair perfectly with the miso enhanced pea and red pepper salad.
Chinese sausage waffles
Waffles made using yeast as a raising agent can be almost bread-like. They have that wonderful yeasty character of freshly baked bread. Adding Chinese sausage adds sweet umami notes putting this waffle at the top of my make again list.
These Chinese sausage waffles have a lot of potential beyond this pairing, though. I had extra waffles, which I had frozen, reheated and eaten a couple of weeks later, and they were so good with a green leaf salad and some salad dressing. There is potential to explore many more combinations with these Chinese sausage waffles.
The warm pea and roasted red pepper salad with miso dressing is sweet and packed with umami. It provides a nice counterpoint to the strong notes of the Chinese sausage and the yeastiness of the waffles.
More on Chinese sausages
Chinese sausage, or lap xuong (lạp xưởng) in Vietnamese, is a strong tasting sausage usually used in moderation to add flavour. It plays a role similar to chorizo or chouriço in Mediterranean cuisine. In fact, you could do a version of this dish using chorizo, just as you could substitute Chinese sausage for the chouriço in Jen’s baked zucchini dish. Wikipedia has a good overview of the Chinese sausage, while the Meats and Sausages site goes into much more detail.
The Ratatouille on a polenta waffle is a similar dish where an interesting vegetable preparation compliments an interesting waffle.
You will be able to find Chinese sausages at an Asian market. This photo was taken in Singapore’s Chinatown…
Chinese sausage waffles (lap xuong) with a warm pea and red pepper salad
Ingredients
Waffles
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 50 g butter
- 2 tsp bakers yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 head Roasted garlic
- 6 lap xuong sausages chinese sausages
Pea and roasted red pepper salad
- 2 red peppers
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup peas I used frozen peas
Sesame miso vinaigrette
- 1 large mild chilli
- 1 juice of a lemon
- 2 Tbsp miso
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup grape seed oil or other good neutral tasting vegetable oil
- 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger
Instructions
Preparing the waffle batter
- Add the milk and butter to a saucepan and heat over a low heat.
- Once the butter is melted, whisk it in then add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 Tbsp sugar.
- Once the sugar and salt have dissolved, remove the milk from the heat and allow to cool until lukewarm.
- Add 1/2 cup warm water to a large bowl.
- Add the yeast, stir, then allow to sit until foam forms on the surface (5-15 minutes, depending on the yeast).
- Add the milk mixture to the yeast in the the large bowl and stir.
- Slowly add the flour to the milk and yeast, whisking until smooth.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Making the waffles
- Slice up the lap xuong sausages.
- Stir fry in a little vegetable oil until fragrant. Drain on paper towels.
- Whisk the eggs.
- Mash the roast garlic cloves.
- Add the roast garlic, eggs, and baking soda to the batter and whisk together.
- Add the lap xuong and mix in to the batter.
- Make the waffles according to the waffle maker instructions. Usually about 1/2 cup batter per waffle.
Pea and roasted red pepper salad
- Halve and trim the red peppers. Smear with olive oil.
- Bake for 45 minutes at 200 degC.
- Allow to cool.
- Boil the peas until done. Be careful not to overcook. This is not the recipe for mushy peas!
- Drain and allow to cool.
- Cut the roasted red peppers into 5mm pieces.
- Mix peppers and peas together.
Sesame miso vinaigrette
- Whisk all ingredients in a bowl.
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