LOP CHEUNG CHOW FAN
Weeknight comfort food, Lop Cheung Chow Fan (Chinese Sausage Fried Rice).
My sisters and I made this Chinese sausage fried rice for our mother when we knew she would be hungry and out of the mood to cook after a hard day at work. Another one of those quick fried rice meals was bacon and egg fried rice, but this Chinese Sausage Fried Rice was my absolute favorite!
CHINESE SAUSAGE: WHAT IS IT?
Lop Cheung or lop Cheong is how Cantonese speakers pronounce Chinese sausage. “Sausage” is referred to as “lop” in this context. In Mandarin, it is written as (là cháng) and pronounced as such.
If you’re referring to Chinese preserved sausages in Mandarin, you’ll be better off calling the dish Chinese Sausage Fried Rice or “Xiang Cháng Chofàn” instead of “Lop Cheung Chow Fan,” as most Mandarin speakers do. Are you all up to speed on the ABCs and Canto kids?
I also need to clarify for you the many sorts of Chinese sausages. Flushing and Brooklyn’s Chinatowns grew much later, and the majority of the Chinese in New York City were Cantonese and primarily from Hong Kong back in the day when there was just one Chinatown.
There were only two Chinese sausages back then: the sweet sort produced with a fatty pig and the gon Cheung or liver sausage, which was made with pork fat and duck liver, respectively.
With the recent inflow of individuals from all across China, these Cantonese-style sausages, as well as spicy Chinese sausages prepared from Sichuan peppercorns and other forms of preserved and salted pork, have become more widespread in recipes.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 pcs. of Chinese sausages (lop Cheung, diced)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 5 cups of cooked white rice
- ¾ tsp. of salt
- ¼ tsp. of sugar
- 2 tsp. of hot water
- ¼ tsp. of sesame oil
- 1 tsp. of soy sauce
- ½ tsp. of dark soy sauce
- ⅛ tsp. of white pepper
- 3 tbsp. of vegetable oil (divided)
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- ⅔ cup of frozen green peas (thawed to room temperature)
- 1 cup of mung bean sprouts
- 2 scallions (chopped)
- 1 tsp. of Shaoxing wine (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Begin by preparing your Chinese sausage, onion, and rice as directed on the package .
- 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce, 1/4 tsp standard soy sauce, 1/8 tsp ground white pepper, 2 tsp hot water, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp sugar, 2 tsp hot water, 1/4 tsp sesame oil in a small bowl. Set away for later.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Spread the oil out along the rim of the wok. Once you’ve added the two beaten eggs to the oil, use your wok spatula to scramble and break them into smaller pieces until done. Set them aside in the bowl from which you beat them.
- A tablespoon of oil should be added to the wok, and it should be heated to medium-high. A quick 20-second stir-fry with the Chinese sausages (lap Cheung) is all that’s needed.
- For 1-2 minutes, add the finely chopped onion and stir-fry until translucent. Add the rice and raise the heat to high. Flatten and break up any clumps with your metal wok spatula. It is necessary to cook and stir-fry the rice for longer if you are using leftover white rice.
- Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the rice after it has been reheated. When you’re ready to serve the lop Cheung fried rice, use a scooping motion with your spatula to distribute the sauce evenly on the rice. No more rice clumps are to be found, and the sauce should be heating as it disperses.
- Serve with 2/3 cup frozen peas, 1 cup mung bean sprouts, and 1 cup fried egg. Continue to cook the rice for a few more seconds.
- At this point, a teaspoon of Shaoxing wine should be sprinkled around the wok. Stir-fry for another 20 seconds, then serve. The wok hay flavor you get from good Chinese fried rice is imparted during this step.