• 1 kg lean pork meat, minced
• 1/4 kg pork fat, minced
• 1 ½ heads garlic, crushed
• 1/3 tsp ground bay leaf or 1 leaf finely chopped
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• sausage casing or 3 tbsp cornstarch if using skinless method.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Mix all ingredients except casing and let stand for 1 hour.
2. Fill casing w/ mixture. Twist and tie ends of casing with kitchen cord to create a link of sausages (usually at every 4 inches interval).
3. Place sausages in a container with cover and cure in the refrigerator for 2-5 days. Ideally kept in chiller.

Notes: For skinless or no casing, just add cornstarch to mixture, shape and roll a small amount of mixture into balls using your hands. Roll each mixture to form sausages. Place side by side each other in a plastic container with cover. Ideally you can wrap it individually in wax paper. Keep covered and refrigerate for 3-5 days to cure before frying.

How to cook:
Add desired amount of sausages in a skillet. Add half a cup of water to come up to about 1/2 inch of large wok. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer over medium heat and let all water evaporates for approximately 10 minutes. Prick sausages with fork and let it fry on its rendered fat for approximately 3-5 minutes (until sausage is caramelized or skin turns reddish brown. Add a little oil if necessary.)

Serve hot with garlic rice, sunny side up or scrambled eggs, sliced tomatoes with spicy vinegar on the side.

MAMA’S CHOCOLATE DREAM CAKE RECIPE (Copycat)