4teaspoonsground dried prickly ash berries or Szechuan peppercornsUse half this amount if using commercial Szechuan peppercorns or if your peppercorns are very aromatic or red in color.
2tablespoonfish sauce or soy sauce preferably Red Boat brand
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonred pepper flakesor to taste, depending on your heat tolerance
¼teaspoonfreshly ground cloves, star anise or ½ teaspoon ground spicebush berries
2teaspoonfresh gingerfinely grated
2small clove garlicfinely grated (about ½ teaspoon)
2teaspoonmaple sugaror other sugar
2Small handful of chopped fresh cilantro, culantro, or rau ram
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine the meat mix with the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly, then allow to rest overnight, which will allow the salt time to bond and activate the myosin in the meat which helps keep it moist.
The sausage will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Notes
Scaling
You can scale this up as needed, but adjust the salt down, aiming for about 1 % of the total weight of the meat when making larger batches (a great reason to have a kitchen scale).