# Need A Good Gravy Recipe....



## Thrifty Angler (May 5, 2002)

The type that goes on Chinese sausage and rice. Love my go to place for the complete dish ....but don't want to travel the distance to get it. It's always cold by the time I get it home. 

Any tried and true recipes from you guys?

Thanks


----------



## WNCRick (Sep 24, 2007)

That is an interesting question. You've sparked my curiosity for sure. I've eaten my share of Asian food through the years from living in several different places, and being open enough try just about anything that is edible; however, I've never had any sort of gravy on anything Asian? I'm familiar with Chinese sausage being added to fried rice, sometimes with a fairly heavy sauce(something like fish sauce and soy) it sit's in.


----------



## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

Technically, every sauce in Chinese food is considered "gravy". Well, at least that's the word they tend to use in English... Same with Indian food. (curry and gravy interchange)


----------



## WNCRick (Sep 24, 2007)

Terminology strikes again. Thanks for the info.


----------



## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

To be honest, I'm not familiar with "Chinese sausage". What is it?


----------



## WNCRick (Sep 24, 2007)

To the best of my knowledge it is a blanket term that covers about any Asian type sausage. Some are made with rice, some mainly blood, some pork, some dried, some smoked, all are vastly different yet get the same name; however, most all of them are on the sweet side. They are treated about the same as "polish sausage" as far as the name goes, tons of regional varieties from many different European countries, but they all get the name kielbasa in translation.

About as much as I know
Rick


----------



## Thrifty Angler (May 5, 2002)

Oh my....looks like I may have to head to the light rail station and make the trekfrom Va Beach to Portsmouth to buy a side of gravy. I'll wing it on the sausage and rice using what's on hand. It's the delicious gravy that I can't duplicate.


----------



## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

It's not an Asian dish at all. It's very common in Chinese restaurants that cater to a lot of local African-American communities. We call it "large" or "small smoke" and it's hot smoked sausage links, scored and sautéed in oil, then simmered in gravy and served over white rice. I've never seen it outside of eastern VA and NC, and my brother-in-law says he can't find it (it's his favorite) in Baltimore. I've made it several times on my own, but the delicious gravy is difficult to reproduce for some reason, although I like my own and it comes close.

After frying or saute-ing the sausage, I measure out the drippings and make a roux of equal parts drippings and flour. Cook until you get the desired color of your roux (About 2-3 mins) just like making chicken gravy. I make mine with 1 lb sausage, then the roux with a ratio of about 2:2 tbsps flour and drippings (more if you want lots of gravy), and when tan colored, add about 1 1/2 cups hot water. I also add Chinese 5 spice powder (sometimes, but not always), black pepper, cayenne pepper to taste (careful if you use spicy sausage unless you like lots of heat), then add soy sauce (La Choy is best) to taste. I use about 2 tbsps soy sauce and NO SALT. Add your cooked sausage to the gravy, cover and simmer about 10 mins on low heat. Serve over rice.

This may or may not be what you're looking for, Thrifty, but it's the only one I know of. Hope this helps


----------



## Thrifty Angler (May 5, 2002)

Bayluvnnrse said:


> It's not an Asian dish at all. It's very common in Chinese restaurants that cater to a lot of local African-American communities. We call it "large" or "small smoke" and it's hot smoked sausage links, scored and sautéed in oil, then simmered in gravy and served over white rice. I've never seen it outside of eastern VA and NC, and my brother-in-law says he can't find it (it's his favorite) in Baltimore. I've made it several times on my own, but the delicious gravy is difficult to reproduce for some reason, although I like my own and it comes close.
> 
> After frying or saute-ing the sausage, I measure out the drippings and make a roux of equal parts drippings and flour. Cook until you get the desired color of your roux (About 2-3 mins) just like making chicken gravy. I make mine with 1 lb sausage, then the roux with a ratio of about 2:2 tbsps flour and drippings (more if you want lots of gravy), and when tan colored, add about 1 1/2 cups hot water. I also add Chinese 5 spice powder (sometimes, but not always), black pepper, cayenne pepper to taste (careful if you use spicy sausage unless you like lots of heat), then add soy sauce (La Choy is best) to taste. I use about 2 tbsps soy sauce and NO SALT. Add your cooked sausage to the gravy, cover and simmer about 10 mins on low heat. Serve over rice.
> 
> This may or may not be what you're looking for, Thrifty, but it's the only one I know of. Hope this helps


 Where have you been all my life. Sorry for the late response. Haven't been on the site for a while.
I will give this a try. I made a special trip to buy my usual sausage/rice/extra gravy dish at my favorite (since the late 70's) chinese restaurant. Unfortunately that day there were closed. Slow business, etc....but at least they are still in business.
Haven't had a chance to get back yet. Decided to try my hand at making "pancit". What an adventure.

I'm gonna try your recipe. The gravy they serve seems to be somewhat jelled. Not sure if it's from cornstarch or what not. Anyway, it's the taste that matters most. Thanks again.  Will post results soon.


----------



## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

Thrifty Angler said:


> Where have you been all my life. Sorry for the late response. Haven't been on the site for a while.
> I will give this a try. I made a special trip to buy my usual sausage/rice/extra gravy dish at my favorite (since the late 70's) chinese restaurant. Unfortunately that day there were closed. Slow business, etc....but at least they are still in business.
> Haven't had a chance to get back yet. Decided to try my hand at making "pancit". What an adventure.
> 
> I'm gonna try your recipe. The gravy they serve seems to be somewhat jelled. Not sure if it's from cornstarch or what not. Anyway, it's the taste that matters most. Thanks again.  Will post results soon.


LOL! It's the cornstarch that causes it to gel. You can use that after you fry up the sausage, then add some broth to the drippings. Mix your cornstarch with equal parts cold water or broth, then add it to the simmering liquid, along with the spices and soy sauce. Either way is good, but cornstarch gels when it gets cold, then gets watery when reheated, so I like doing it the roux way with flour. I hope you get the taste you're looking for, but we know that the restaurants do it best, don't they? Sorry you went all the way there only to find it closed.

How did your pancit turn out?


----------



## Thrifty Angler (May 5, 2002)

Bayluvnnrse said:


> LOL! It's the cornstarch that causes it to gel. You can use that after you fry up the sausage, then add some broth to the drippings. Mix your cornstarch with equal parts cold water or broth, then add it to the simmering liquid, along with the spices and soy sauce. Either way is good, but cornstarch gels when it gets cold, then gets watery when reheated, so I like doing it the roux way with flour. I hope you get the taste you're looking for, but we know that the restaurants do it best, don't they? Sorry you went all the way there only to find it closed.
> 
> How did your pancit turn out?


Uh... Pancit results 
Not mine...but in the general neighborhood....Had a little irritation going on too....kinda like this.:redface: Must have been the mono...as in ---sodium glutamate.


----------



## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

Thrifty Angler said:


> Uh... Pancit results
> Not mine...but in the general neighborhood....Had a little irritation going on too....kinda like this.:redface: Must have been the mono...as in ---sodium glutamate.


OMG!! and lol at the puffer fish! That's not good. That's the price we pay sometimes though for eating such good food. Gotta be careful


----------

