Gyuma

Ingredients

• 3¾ cupsBloodsheep, yak or beef; shake well before mixing
• 8¾ ozGround beefcoarsely ground (approx. 6 mm plate)
• 14⅛ ozRicecooked and cooled; preferably a thicker grain
• 3Sausage casingsheep or lamb casing, cleaned and turned fat-side in
• 1⅓ ozOatmealadds extra binding to the filling (optional)
• ½ ozSalt
• ⅛ ozBlack pepperground
• ⅛ ozCuminground
• ⅛ ozNutmegground

Method

1. Thaw frozen blood slowly and completely the day before. Cook the rice, spread it out on a tray and let it cool right down — warm rice would spoil the mix.
2. Scrape and rinse the casing thoroughly under running water, being careful with the fat that clings to it, since that's what gives the sausage its flavour. Then turn the casing so the fat sits inside, rinse once more and cut it into manageable lengths.
3. Shake the blood well and pour it into a large container. Add the coarsely ground beef, the cooled rice and, if you like, the oatmeal, and stir everything together.
4. Stir in the salt, pepper, cumin and nutmeg. The mixture stays thin and settles, so keep stirring it as you fill.
5. Pull a length of casing onto a funnel, fill it loosely and smooth out any air bubbles. Don't pack them tight — the sausages should stay fairly flat — tie them off every 20 cm and divide into manageable strands.
6. Poach the sausages in plenty of water at 175 °F for about 30 minutes, nudging them into shape with a turner as they go in. To test, prick with a needle or toothpick: if no more blood runs out, they're done.
7. Lift them out, put them into cold water for 10 minutes and then chill. They darken noticeably as they cool.
8. To eat, cut into slices and fry in a pan until they take on colour on the outside. Whatever is left keeps in the fridge.

Tips and variations

Instead of the 80 °C poach you can cook the sausages in vigorously boiling water and simply check doneness by pricking them. The oatmeal is optional, but it gives the filling extra binding. A narrow 28 mm sheep casing makes slimmer sausages than a wider lamb or veal casing; synthetic casing works, though without the fat it tastes noticeably different. The nutmeg isn't traditional — it's the recipe-giver's own addition, so leave it out if you prefer. Gyuma is best straight from the pan, sliced and fried.