KSandwich, Chow King, Valley Foods - Breakfasts with sausage (and no biscuits)

Hey.  This is the food blog, mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is kind of busy, ed (from Yuma) is sort of busy and Cathy is crazy busy, but needs a bit of a diversion from things going on right now. 

Here's a bit of a break from the Week of  Sushi. Instead of raw seafood for lunches and dinners, pieces of efficiently butchered meats stuffed into intestinal casings and served for breakfast is the subject. 

Not just plain old American breakfast sausage in a biscuit though.  San Diego is a Melting Pot of people from all over the world, and the first meal of the day for many is usually comforting as well as convenient. 

Stepping into K Sandwich, there is a printed menu item taped to the front counter as well as a placard on the counter at the register.  " Trung Cha LX". Chinese sausage, pate, eggs on a (warmed) banh mi roll with pickled vegetable, jalapeño and cilantro ($3.50). The most expensive (and heaviest) sandwich here.

That's it - on the right.  On the left is a ham, cheese and egg on a (fresh, warm) croissant ($2.75). Both are wonderful breakfast choices.

Here's a close up of a Trung Cha LX from another visit.  The slices of the Chinese sausage are pretty thick, grilled nicely and a good amount.  The eggs are scrambled hard and the combination of vegetable flavors with a mild pate is magically perfect.

I've tried many Chinese sausages, sold at every Asian market around and some are very sweet and have no other flavor and others are rich and include grain alcohol as an ingredient.  All are kind of thin and don't take on much of a 'char' after being steamed and sauteed and I've had to slice them into odd shapes to get as much surface area as possible to sauté and make the sausages more flavorful.  This is the brand K Sandwich uses; sold in the refrigerator section next to the bread and croissants and I do like it the best.

K Sandwiches 7604 Linda Vista Road at Mesa College Drive San Diego 92111 (858)278-8961

Chow King is a chain that began in the Philippines in 1985 and has made its way here, with four locations in San Diego County.  I know it goes against my New Year Resolution (to make an effort to patronize local businesses), but the breakfast here fulfills all of my cravings...(not the All Day Breakfast in the sign, but this one:)

Rice, a basted egg, bangus (milkfish) and sweet longaniza, a chorizo-like sausage popular in the Philippines ($7).  The bangus is sour with a vinegar base to it and the longaniza here has pineapple juice as its base. Longaniza is made with various spices related to the region: garlic-y, sour or sweet as well as with various meats as the base (chicken, beef and even tuna).  

I purchase the fresh longaniza that you choose and cut individually at the fish counter area at Lucky Seafood. It's really good.

As an aside, other 'breakfast-y" items I like at Chow King are the Chicharap (shrimp chips), usually an add on for $1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the "Taho", a tofu beverage usually served cold, but when you ask for it hot (and with no added brown sugar syrup) it arrives in a reusable container and is filled with boba as well as a silky tofu.  This is comforting for me. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chow King 8955 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126  (858) 653-4977   website.

Then there is basturma, an air dried sausage similar to pastrami, that we had in a sandwich on the first day of 2013, at the House of Basturma in Pasadena.

We've been on a search for basturma in San Diego and found it sold -and served at breakfast- at Valley Foods in El Cajon. The breakfast plate ($6.99) includes sliced sauteed basturma mixed with fluffy scrambled eggs and is served with a (fresh, baked in the store) sammoon bread and plate of pickled turnips and onions, tomatoes and hot peppers. It is wonderful.

We've tried to recreate this meal at home, buying each type of basturma (lamb or beef) of the home made sausage and it's still better when prepared for us at Valley Foods (plus we can go shopping after we eat)...the eggs are unusually creamy, light and fluffy.

The basturma is a very solid (because it is air dried) sausage and the beef one has a bit of hot paprika in addition to the garlic, cumin and fenugreek spices.  Both sausages are good and the same price ($7.99/lb).

There are other breakfast sausage options in the county: I'm researching. Hope you're enjoying the weekend!

Valley Foods 1275 East Main Street El Cajon 92021 (619) 749-8355 Website

Comments

[caninecologne]

What a diverse round up Cathy!

I didn't know you could get fresh longaniza there. As for Chow King, I'm wondering if the company decided to merge two words for the 'chicharap' snack. Chicharon + Masarap ('delicious' or 'good tasting' in Tagalog) = Chicharap!? :) The chicharap looks like 'kropek' - fried shrimp chips. When in unfried form, they look like plastic discs (reminds me of shrinky dinks), then they puff up when fried.

Did they spell that drink with an 'e' at the end (taho)? That is a popular street food/drink.

I'd like to try that basturma one of these days.

[Soo Hom]

I love chinese sausage! Where do you buy your fav brand? How does it taste compared to Kam Yen Jan brand?
http://www.growcookeat.com/uploaded_images/chinese-sausage-743459.jpg

[caninecologne]

Cathy & Soo,
I use the Kam Yen Jan brand and really like it a lot. Fried rice seems better when I put Chinese sausage!

[Cathy]

Thanks, cc-kind of cleaning out the memory card and finding a common denominator. I've seen the discs of shrimp chips but never bought and made at home, these are probably the same thing. Ooops! Guess it is spelled 'taho'- that's how I spelled it in my other Chow King post ( http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2007/05/chow_king_great.html ) must correct that. It is tasty and protein filled. Valley Foods; just a block East from Nahrain...
Hi Soo! We just had the Kam Yen Jan brand sausage for breakfast on Saturday. It was good, not at all weird sweet and it plumped up nicely; it will be purchased again. I do really like the Champ brand that is sold at K Sandwiches.
Right now, it's a side to eggs for breakfast, cc. I've never considered using chinese sausage other ways.

[caninecologne]

I also put Chinese sausage in my pancit bihon.

[Cathy]

I've never thought about using Chinese sausage as a sort of condiment, like I'd use chopped bacon pieces or leftover dinner meat, cc. Your ways make perfect sense to me. There is certainly enough in a package that I don't have to just have it only for a breakfast plate. Thanks!

[Sandy]

My morning oatmeal pales in comparison to these breakfast plates! I buy the Kam Jen Yan brand because my mom does; she says theirs is more meatier and less fatty than other brands. I also use it in fried rice. I have seen the fresh longanisa at Lucky Seafood, but haven't bought it yet.

[Cathy]

Thanks, Sandy; now I know the Kam Jen Yan is the brand to buy. I was buying the others when I saw them on sale-my only criterion. Since you pick the sausage up yourself, just get one or two of the longanisa to try. It really plumps up when cooking and will burst; I cut it lengthwise and then cook-the insides get a nice sticky char.

[van pham]

I agree with the other posters. My family loves the Kam Jen Yan brand also. But I do love it fried with scrambled eggs on the side. Also great in fried rice as previously mentioned.

[Cathy]

The sandwich at K (more than half a year ago) was the first way I tried Chinese sausage, Van. I have since only used the sausages as sides to eggs at home and learn more from all my friends here, but have found it interesting to experiment with all the brands sold; KJY will be more of a regular purchase. Welcome to the comment side of our blog!