Compared with millennia-old concoctions such as soy sauce and doubanjiang, XO sauce is quite a recent addition to the Chinese food canon.

Developed in the high-end restaurants of 1980s Hong Kong, it borrows its name from XO cognac, considered the epitome of luxury in the heady days of ’80s economic extravagance (even though the sauce doesn’t contain any of the cognac at all).

A product of its time, XO sauce combined the most prized ingredients from around China: expensive dried seafood from Fujian, and exquisite Yunnan or Jinhua hams with prices that eclipse even the finest pata negra or Iberican jamon Serrano.

Australia has fallen in love with XO sauce. The XO pipis at sadly departed Golden Century was arguably the dish that defined the Sydney food scene for a decade, and was the one dish every visiting chef from overseas had to try.

Used as a condiment for dumplings (dumplings are rarely served with soy sauce in Chinese cuisine), a seasoning for seafood dishes, or as an ingredient to level up luxe noodle or rice courses, XO sauce is expensive, but that’s the whole point.

Here’s how to make it, as well as a couple of recipes to take it East or West.

Classic XO sauce

Ingredients

• 50g dried scallops
• 50g dried shrimp
• 500ml vegetable oil
• 4 large red or golden eschalots (French or Asian shallots), peeled and minced
• 2cm ginger, peeled and grated
• 6 large red chillies, deseeded and minced
• 50g prosciutto, finely shredded
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp mild Korean chilli powder
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce

Method

1. Soak the scallops and shrimp separately, each in 250ml (1 cup) hot water for at least 1 hour. Drain the scallops well, reserving the soaking liquid, then shred the scallops by pounding them in a mortar to separate the fibres. Drain the shrimp and roughly grind in a mortar and pestle to a coarse and “fuzzy” powder. Alternatively, use a food processor and pulse the drained scallops and shrimp.
2. Heat your oven to 80C fan-forced (100C conventional).
3. Heat 125ml (½ cup) of the oil in a medium, ovenproof saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the eschalots, ginger, and red chillies for 10 minutes or until fragrant and softened.
4. Add the shredded scallops, shrimp, prosciutto, salt, sugar, chilli powder, soy sauce and a little of the reserved scallop soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer, then simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Add the remaining oil and reduce the heat to very low. Cook for another 10 minutes to allow the oil to infuse, then transfer the pan to the oven and cook uncovered for about 1 hour until the colour of the sauce intensifies and becomes thick, oily and jammy.
6. Transfer to clean jars, then seal and cool. Refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce will keep for about 3 months.

Makes about 3 cups

XO spaghetti vongole

A spike of XO sauce into a simple vongole pasta gives the Venetian classic an international flavour.

Ingredients

• 500g spaghetti
• 600g pipis or clams
• ½ cup olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 bird’s eye chilli, finely sliced
• 1 cup white wine
• ¼ cup Classic XO sauce
• ½ cup finely shredded parsley

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt it for cooking the pasta. Add the pasta and set a timer for two-thirds of the cooking time printed on the packet.
2. Heat a large frying pan (big enough to hold both the shellfish and pasta) over medium heat. Add the olive oil and garlic and fry for about a minute, until the garlic starts to brown around the edges, then add the chilli and wine. Cover and simmer for a minute, then add the pipis/clams, cover and shake the pan. Allow the shellfish to cook for about 3 minutes until about ½ of them have opened.
3. At this point the spaghetti should be about two-thirds cooked. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water, and transfer it to frying pan with the pipis. Add the XO sauce and stir to coat the spaghetti and shellfish, cooking until the spaghetti is al dente, the “sauce” thickened, and the pipis have all opened. Stir through the parsley and serve.

Serves 4

Steamed oysters with vermicelli and XO sauce

These steamed oysters would be perfect as part of a shared Chinese meal, or as a simple entree for a dinner party.

Ingredients

• 120g dried mung bean vermicelli
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• ½ tsp caster sugar
• 12 large Pacific oysters, opened and turned
• 2-3 tbsp Classic XO sauce
• 2 thin spring onions, very finely sliced

Method

1. Pour boiling water over the mung bean vermicelli in a medium bowl and stand for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in tap water until cooled. Drain well again, then mix with the soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Divide the vermicelli between the oysters, placing a portion of vermicelli in a pile on top of each oyster.
2. Place the oysters on a plate and steam for 4 minutes. Remove from the steamer, top each oyster with a spoonful of XO sauce and scatter with the sliced spring onions.

Serves 4

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