Chinese Sausage Fried Rice with Egg and Scallions

This Chinese sausage fried rice is the ultimate fried rice. It’s a flavour-packed comfort food that’s quick and easy to prepare. Enjoy it on its own or serve alongside your favourite Asian dishes.

Chinese sausages (lap cheong) are fragrant, cured pork sausages that add a lot of depth to any stir-fry or rice dish. See the section below for more about lap cheong and how to prepare it.

Chinese sausages (lap cheong)

Chinese sausages (in Mandarin: 腊肠 / 臘腸, commonly called lap cheong in Cantonese) are thin, dried, cured pork sausages prized for their sweet-salty, savory aroma. There are regional variations across Asia and different recipes use varying ingredients, but typical lap cheong contains pork, pork fat, soy sauce, sugar, alcohol, and seasonings. They are intensely flavorful, so a little goes a long way.

These sausages are very versatile — ideal in fried rice, steamed dishes, stir-fries, or simply added to steamed vegetables. Opening a packet usually gives a strong, mouthwatering scent of seasoning and rendered fat.

Ingredients

• Chinese sausages (lap cheong) — available at most Asian grocery stores and in some mainstream supermarkets in the Asian foods aisle.
• Leftover rice — rice cooked the day before is ideal because it is drier and stir-fries without clumping. You can use freshly cooked rice if you reduce the water when cooking it.
• Soy sauce — light, regular or dark soy sauce will work. Dark soy is richer and less salty; adjust salt accordingly.
• Spring onion / scallion — both the white and green parts are used: the white adds onion depth while the green adds freshness at the end.
• Eggs, brown onion, garlic, oil (canola or sunflower), salt and pepper.

Preparing Chinese sausages

Removing the casing is optional but recommended. The casing is tasteless and can become tough when stir-fried, since there’s no moisture to soften it. Peeling the casing makes the sausage slices more pleasant to eat and blends better with the texture of the rice and eggs.

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• Step 1. Soak the sausages in warm (not boiling) water for about 2 minutes. This loosens the casing.
• Step 2. When the casing turns opaque, peel it off from either end — it should come away easily.
• Step 3. Thinly slice the sausages (about 2 mm) or cut slightly thicker if preferred.

How to make Chinese sausage fried rice

Fried rice is fast to make and best cooked in a large non-stick pan or wok so rice grains don’t stick and you can get good heat contact across the surface. High heat is important for flavor development — it helps the rice and soy sauce caramelize and produce that tasty stir-fry aroma.

Make the scrambled eggs first

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• Whisk eggs and pour into a hot pan with about 1 tablespoon oil. Push the eggs slowly; when they form but are still slightly undercooked, remove and set aside. This keeps eggs soft and fluffy.

Then the rest

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• In the same pan, add the remaining oil and sauté diced onion and minced garlic until slightly golden.
• Add the Chinese sausage slices and the white parts of the sliced spring onions; sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and slightly golden.
• Push these ingredients to the edges of the pan and add the leftover rice to the center. Turn heat to high and stir-fry for about 1 minute, pressing clumps to break them apart.
• Add soy sauce, salt and ground white or black pepper. Stir-fry for 2 minutes on high, making sure each grain of rice touches the hot pan so the soy sauce caramelizes slightly.
• Add the scrambled eggs back in and the green parts of the spring onions. Break the eggs into similar-sized pieces as the sausage, toss for 20–30 seconds and serve immediately.

Tips for making the best Chinese sausage fried rice every time

• Cook on high heat and keep the rice moving so every grain touches the hot surface — this develops deeper flavour.
• Add soy sauce while the rice is hot so it can caramelize and blend into the rice for richer umami flavour.
• Cook the eggs first and set them aside so they remain soft and golden when returned to the rice at the end.
• Taste before serving and adjust seasoning. If it feels too salty, a pinch of chilli flakes can help balance the saltiness.

Good to know (FAQs)

I wrote this to cover the essentials so you can make perfect Chinese sausage fried rice every time — from preparing the lap cheong to tips that help you get great texture and flavour.

More delicious Chinese recipes

• Soy sauce chicken — a homestyle soy sauce chicken perfect with steamed rice and vegetables.
• Chicken noodle stir fry — a quick, healthy weeknight meal.
• Beef and vegetable stir fry — a colourful, healthy option.
• Sticky soy chicken wings — a crowd-pleasing, finger-licking dish.

Thanks for reading. If you try this recipe, enjoy the process and happy cooking!

— Gen

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