Stir fry sausage with vegetables

Sometimes I’m attracted to things that don’t seem to go together at first glance: Bratwurst and wok – Bratwurst Stir Fry with vegetables. Two worlds that could hardly be more opposite – rustic and hearty meets fast, hot and aromatic. And yet it works amazingly well. In the wok, the sausage suddenly takes on a different stage: instead of sizzling slowly, it is cut into slices, briefly and hotly fried – crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.

And don’t forget the vegetables: Fennel, carrots and pointed peppers. This makes the dish just as well-rounded as the incredibly tasty sauce. Add a little rice and I’m happy. Give it a try and see if it makes you happy too 🙂

The sausage in the wok

The character of the dish changes depending on the type of sausage. A classic coarse bratwurst adds spice and fat, which provides additional roasted notes in the wok. A fine veal sausage, on the other hand, tastes milder, almost more elegant, while a Thuringian or Nuremberg sausage with marjoram and pepper has a more rustic depth. Mediterranean varieties such as salsiccia with fennel also work excellently – the fat caramelizes quickly and the essential oils enhance the “wok heat”, that smoky heat haze that you get at high temperatures. So although it’s called sausage stir fry, it’s always a different, delicious dish depending on the sausage.

What I love about it is the flexibility: German sausage becomes a global nomad. Instead of mustard and sauerkraut, it gets paprika, chili and soy sauce. It is an encounter at eye level – not a parody, but an honest fusion. The wok brings the texture you love from a barbecue, but without the long build-up and wait.

Stir fry in a wok

The secret is in the speed, even with Bratwurst Stir Fry. The wok requires preparation: everything cut, everything ready before the fire starts. Then it’s all done in one go – put the sausage in, brown it briefly, take it out, add the vegetables and aromatics, put everything on a high heat, add the sauce and then reunite at the end. This keeps the sausage and vegetables alive, not overcooked.

Of course, the best way to do this is on a wok burner with plenty of power like the Roaring Dragon. When it comes to wok burners, the Roaring Dragon is unbeatable with its 24kW output. All the others with 10, 12 or 16 kW are just gas stoves. I’m not giving away my Roaring Dragon, but I can offer you a 10% discount on your Roaring Dragon with my code “Chopstick_BBQ”.

If you like, you can also experiment: A curry sausage harmonizes wonderfully with a sweet and spicy sauce, while a white sausage in thin slices, combined with ginger and lime, suddenly looks almost Thai. Vegan sausages also work surprisingly well – they benefit particularly from the short, intensive frying phase in the wok.

In the end, it’s the balance that counts: roasted aromas, fresh acidity, salty depth and a hint of sweetness. And the realization that the wok is not an exclusively Asian tool, but a universal flavour enhancer – even for bratwurst.

The creativity of Chinese cuisine

What many people forget: Chinese cuisine itself is characterized by an almost playful creativity. The wok is less a tool than a stage for improvisation. Whatever is available is used – and with astonishing imagination. In southern China, you can find stir-frys with cured pork belly or air-dried sausage (“lap cheong”), the sweet and spicy aroma of which has a similar effect to our sausage when fried. In Sichuan, on the other hand, smoked meat or even thinly sliced pressed tofu skin rolls often end up in the wok – ingredients that Western chefs would perhaps expect to find in an appetizer or salad.

This freedom of thought and preparation is what makes it so appealing: There is no rigid boundary between “fits” and “doesn’t fit”. That’s why fried sausage stir fry in a wok also fits. The wok is a space where flavors can come together and where a sausage is a natural part of it, as long as it is treated with respect for heat, timing and taste. In this sense, it is not a break in style at all, but a continuation of the same culinary curiosity that makes the wok so fascinating in the first place.

Enough philosophizing! Take a look at my other wok recipes, such as cashew chicken from the wok and many more. But now let’s get to the sausage of your choice.

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