XO Sauce
March 20th, 2009. Posted by luane
XO Chilli Sauce
One of the really great things about going to Hong Kong is the XO chilli sauces made by fine-dining Chinese restaurants there. All the chefs are showing off, of course – it is their want to become the king of XO chilli sauce, so it has become a challenge as to who makes the very best. XO chilli sauce is simply the top shelf of sauces, named after XO Cognac. In other words, the house speciality, and the very best the house can offer. I have never once had an XO sauce I thought not worthy of dipping a dumpling into. These sauces may not even be that hot, but what they all have in common is a marvellous blending of the most exotic dried ingredients and seasoning. XO is great with seafood, as a dipping sauce, through stir-fries or dolloped on steamed seafoods. One of my favourite Hong Kong meals is XO chilli with egg noodles and lobster. Here is my XO sauce recipe for you to try:
XO SAUCE
4 dried scallops, soaked in warm water for 2 hours and drained
50g dried shrimp, soaked in warm water for 2 hours and drained
200g long red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
50g ginger, peeled and finely chopped
50g garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar
300ml vegetable oil
3 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
Put the scallops on a plate and put the plate in a bamboo steamer over a pot or a wok of rapidly boiling water, cover with the lid and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the scallops from the steamer and, while still warm, shred with your fingers, separating all the fibres.
Pound the shrimp until finely ground in a mortar with a pestle, or grind in a spice grinder.
Put all the ingredients, except for the spring onions, in a large heavy-based pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes, or until the sauce loses its raw edge and turns deep red. Remove from the heat and let cool, then stir in the spring onions.
Tags: Balance & Harmony, Neil Perry, recipe, Rockpool Sydney, Spice Temple
Thank you for the recipe! The XO dishes I tasted were made with bottled sauces containing MSG. I am hoping to shortcut with the dried scallops milled in a spice grinder. Will the recipe work with dried chillies, such as mild kashmiri or korean kim chi chilli powder?
I’ve always wanted to try making my own XO sauce. Thanks for the inspiration Neil!
We actually made our own XO sauce from your Balance and Harmony book on Sunday. How would you actually make Pipis in XO sauce though?
Steve,
Here is the recipe for Pippies in XO Sauce as seen in Neil Perry, Food Source Asia
awesome thanks!
I was given the Balance & Harmony for Chrissie and attempted the XO.
It didn’t turn deep red and after 1 hour when it looked overcooked I turned off the heat. Followed the book exactly so I am puzzled. By the way do you strain the result into a jar or leave some ‘of the bits’?
Hi David,
I would rely less on the timing for this recipe and more on your instinct, as the age, size and quality of chillies will always vary. The main thing is to get that rounded cooked flavour, and lose the rawness. It shouldn’t taste harsh, almost sweet, from the cooking over a low heat.
Don’t strain it…you definitely want all the bits in there.
Good luck with round two.
Thanks, round two was highly successful. My Son is a chef in Torquay and he said it was very nice. Today I am trying the Silken Tofu with XO sauce.
Love it….. Thanks for sharing.. Will try it soon…
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