Lee Kum Kee Xo Sauce, 220g

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Step 3 - Add the bacon, two types of chillis and shallots in the food processor and process until fairly fine (it doesn't have to be completely fine) and empty into another bowl. Repeat with the garlic cloves placing them in a separate bowl. NOTE: Before you begin, it’s a good idea to read the recipe in its entirety. Go into this sauce-making venture with a plan in mind! XO Sauce Recipe Instructions XO sauce is a spicy seafood sauce from Hong Kong [1] with an umami flavour. [2] It is commonly used in southern Chinese regions such as Guangdong. XO sauce is noted for its ability to deliver an umami-rich hit to Chinese food. Made from dried shrimps, scallops and chillies, it is a textured condiment with a distinctive savoury flavour. The phrase ‘XO’ implies costly and luxurious. Traditionally, Hong Kong restaurants each made their own version of XO sauce, keeping their recipes a closely guarded secret. Serve it as a dipping sauce with dim sum dumplings or use it in stir-fried dishes such as fried rice.

You can eat the XO sauce right away or you can let the flavors meld for 2 to 3 days before digging in! Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, add the shallots and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots look like soft caramel. I don’t want to sound too full of myself, but part of the reason why this recipe makes a large batch (feel free to halve and halve again as you see fit!) is because pretty much everyone that I’ve given a sampling of this sauce to has become instantly addicted and is begging me for more.

XO Sauce Recipe Instructions

There’s a fairly wide range of personal preferences on sauce consistency and level of spice. Some cling to chunkier XO sauces while others (like myself) go for a finer, more “sauce-like” consistency. Ratios of shrimp, scallops, and ham can vary. Some use onions in addition to shallots, and you can see fresh chilis used instead of dried chili flakes. An Addictive Condiment Next, pulse the shrimp about 7-8 times, or until they resemble coarse crumbs. Mince the ham by hand–best to avoid your expensive jinhua ham from resembling cat food! Kosher salt. Use about half the amount if using iodized table salt as it is saltier than kosher salt. Adjust spice level to taste. Use less fresh red chilies (or omit completely) and a regular (not extra spicy XO sauce) for a milder dish. You can also omit the pure chili oil for cooking to reduce the spice level. With Chinese New Year starting today we decided to prepare for it by making this XO sauce. If I see XO sauce offered at a restaurant (usually it is offered at upmarket Cantonese restaurants) I always ask for more. In fact I become a bit embarrassing. I once asked for 6 servings of it before Mr NQN stopped me because it was getting embarrassing (I tried to ask different waitstaff for it to cover up my XO sauce mania).

Prepare the fresh ingredients: Prepare/chop the yellow onion, spring onion (separating the white and light green parts from the dark green parts), garlic, ginger, large red chili, small red chilies, Chinese broccoli, and snow peas as indicated in the ‘Ingredients’ section. Adjust spice level to taste. Feel free to use less fresh red chilies (or omit completely) and a regular (not extra spicy XO sauce) for a milder dish. You can also omit the pure chili oil for cooking to reduce the spice level. It may sound odd, but it is, in fact, epically delicious and an explosion of umami deliciousness that you’ll want to slather on literally anything and everything you can find. I posted a homemade XO sauce recipe before, along with a super fast XO fried rice with char siu recipe. It’s definitely worth making the sauce at home, but you can buy it ready-made to save some time. If you like seafood flavors, it’s something you should keep in your Chinese pantry ingredients to make dinners like these a breeze. What is XO sauce XO sauce has a unique and intense flavor suitable as a condiment and seasoning nearly for every dish. XO sauce is available from the Asian grocery or online. However, it is expensive, and therefore it is worth making it yourself. I have a separate article to explain how to make XO sauce at home.Next, add the garlic to the shallots and cook for 10 minutes, keeping an eye on your second wok. The garlic should get golden and slightly crisped. Step 4 - Place the reserved Shaoxing wine in a small saucepan and add the two soy sauces and sugar. Simmer until reduced by 1/4. Pure Chili Oil: For cooking in addition to the canola oil and to add extra heat. Omit for a milder stir-fry dish.