Braised Tube Sausage

Braised Tube Sausage

　　Tube sausage (also known as nested sausage) is made from fatty, oil-rich sections of pig intestines, also referred to as small intestines. It uses large intestines from well-fed pigs, which are soaked in hot water, then removed and seasoned with a little salt and alum. The sticky mucus on both sides of the intestines is repeatedly rinsed and cleaned. One end of the intestine is secured with a bamboo stick and folded inward to create a double or triple layer — essentially forming a "tube sausage" inside the intestine. The prepared sausages are then cut into one-inch pieces, and cooked with chopped scallions, soy sauce, red rice powder (wrapped in cheesecloth), sugar, starch, lard, and salt. They are simmered in water until fully submerged for one and a half hours. The finished tube sausages are cylindrical in shape, with a deep soy-sauce red color, rich and flavorful gravy, tender yet rich in texture, not greasy, and perfectly balanced between sweet and salty.