Lap Cheong is a fatty pork sausage originating from China. It has a distinctively sweet and smoky flavor, imparted from the typical addition of sugar, rose water, salt and rice wine. Sold in nearly every Asian market across the globe, Lap Cheong features a deep, red purplish hue, appears almost shriveled and feels very firm to the touch.
Though its origins are in China, Lap Cheong is very popular throughout much of Asia, used in a variety of cuisines. It is widely incorporated in dishes with sticky rice, dim sum, fried rice, porridge (congee) and in certain Asian nations, is eaten as a side dish with garlic and chili. When traveling through Asia, particularly China and Singapore, it’s easy to spot quaint stores that sell Lap Cheong as they’re usually displayed prominently hanging. The unique red pork and marbled fat appearance of Lap Cheong sets it apart from all other types of sausages.
While some people eat Lap Cheong straight from the package, we recommend slicing it and dry stir-frying for a few minutes to kill of any potential bacteria that may be lingering, if eating it alone. When stir-frying Lap Cheong, it is unnecessary to use any oil as its own fat will render it golden crisp, much like bacon. When using this Chinese sausage in other dishes such as dim sum or sticky rice, stir-frying is unnecessary as other cooking processes will heat it up.
Here are our favorite recipes that feature Lap Cheong: