Here’s how to make XO sauce, the umami-rich seafood condiment from Hong Kong

XO Sauce

The sauce is made spicy with the addition of a lot of chillies. (Source: Thinkstock)

Ingredients

150 gms, dried scallops
100 gms, dried shrimp
150 gms, shallot
1 bulb, garlic
5 pcs fresh chilli (you can add or reduce depending on personal preferences)
1 handful of dried chili (again, you can add or reduce depending on personal preferences)
400 gms, cooking oil
2 tbsp, Abalone sauce
1 tbsp, oyster sauce
1 tbsp, soy sauce
2 tbsp, sugar

Method

*Blend the chilies, garlic, and shallots in a blender.

*Take a cooking pot or wok, add the blended ingredients in. Fry on a medium-low heat and continue stirring to prevent the bottom from burning.

*Fry until the mixture begins to turn golden yellow and switch off the heat. With a strainer, separate the oil from the ingredients and set aside.

*Then add blended chopped dried shrimp into oil and fry at medium-low heat. Fry until it begins to brown. Switch off the heat and strain off the dried shrimp from oil and set aside.

*Add chopped dried scallops and fry at medium-low heat. Fry until they begin browning and strain off the dried scallop from oil and set aside.

*Without turning on the heat, add sugar into oil and dissolve sugar. Then add soy sauce, abalone sauce, and oyster sauce.

*Switch on heat to the lowest level and thoroughly toss everything together. Add all the fried ingredients back in. Thoroughly stir.

*Remove from heat and transfer into a container.

Your XO Sauce is now ready to use. It can be used as a condiment or a sauce for recipes. Here is a Prawn in XO sauce that works well for weekday dinners.

Prawn in XO Sauce

Ingredients

1 tbsp, vegetable oil
6 large prawns
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 gms ginger, minced
2 tsp Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing wine)
2 tbsp XO sauce
2 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp caster sugar
100 ml chicken stock
½ tsp sesame oil
2 spring onions, julienned
Handful of coriander leaves for garnish

This Prawns in XO Sauce dish comes togther in no time. (source Getty Images)

Method

*Using a knife, butterfly the prawns and remove the intestinal tract. Keep the tail intact.

*In a wok or pan over a medium to high heat add the oil, garlic and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant.

*Deglaze the wok with wine, then add the XO sauce, soy, sugar, chicken stock and sesame oil. Bring to the boil and cook until the sauce thickens.

*Heat a BBQ or grill pan and chargrill the prawns, shell side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the flesh is just cooked. Arrange on a platter and spoon over the sauce. Garnish with spring onion and coriander.

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