Veggie Sausage- Doi Chay

To make most kinds of sausages, a casing is necessary in which to stuff the filling. I want to introduce the veggie sausage, which is healthier and does not need a casing. The dried skin tofu will replace the casing. In Vietnam, the recipe to make this sausage will turn the Westerner off because it uses pig blood and parts of the pig’s body, including the ears, nose, and joints for the filling. This dish is never in my menu, but for many Vietnamese men and some women, it is big deal for them, especially when they gather together with beer and wine to watch some sporting event or relaxing after a hard day of work. I decided to create this dish to be included on the menu on my father’s memorial day because when he was alive, this was one of his favorites. However, in my religion after we pass away, we believe that we are in some special place and staying away from eating meat is one important thing that we need to follow. I want to surprise my family with this dish because of the name of the dish and because this dish reminds me so much about my dad.

Ingredients:
One 8 oz. firm tofu (drain and squeeze out all the water)
2 sheets of tofu skin, soaked in hot water
1 tbs lemongrass, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot minced
2 tbs leek, chopped
2 cubes of fermented tofu
1 tsp miso
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp whole black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 oz dried bean threads, soaked in water and roughly chopped
1 small fungus, soaked in water and chopped
2 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in water and chopped
2 sheets of dried tofu skin, soaked in water to soften

Kitchen twine

Directions:
In a sauté pan, heat 2 tbs oil. Stir in lemongrass, leek, and shallot. Cook this mixture for 3 minutes on low heat. Add garlic and continue to fry them until fragrant (do not let the garlic burn).
In a food processor, combine tofu and soaked tofu skin and press start. Then add the rest of the ingredients, except the whole black pepper and basil, into the food processor. Now at this point, just use the pulse function to start and stop a few times until all ingredients are combined, but the ingredients still can show their shapes. Pour the mixture onto a mixing bowl and add the whole black pepper and basil. Mix well. Re-season again with some salt or soy sauce.
Lay one sheet of soft tofu skin on the countertop.

Using ½ cup of the filling at a time, spread out the filling to cover the length of the sheet.

Roll it up as a log. Cut a few pieces of kitchen twine to tie both ends and the middle of "Doi". Continue to roll up tofu skins until all are finished.

Place a large steamer over high heat. Place these sausages inside the steamer. Cover and steam for 20 minutes. Let "Doi" cool off.

In a sauté pan, add some oil and heat the oil until hot. Pan fry these sausages until golden brown.

Serve with sweet soy dipping sauce and plate of Vietnamese salad.