Hong Kong ranks up there among my favourite cities. I love it’s vibrance, diversity and the fact that I can indulge in two of my favourite hobbies when I’m there. Food and shopping. I love that the malls close at 10 pm and that they take their sales very seriously (nothing perks me up more than a sign saying 70% off!). It’s not unheard of to spend the whole day shopping at a mall and then at night, despite the aching feet, we continue on to the night markets. Of course there’s also the food. On my last trip there with my Mom, sisters and aunt, indulged in dim sum, peking duck and roast goose in between marathon shopping.
I’m sure though that Hong Kong isn’t for everyone. Some may complain about the pollution or the cramped living spaces. I know for certain my husband doesn’t get the same thrill when setting foot in a new mall and he makes numerous excuses when I ask him to come shopping with me.
But once you acquire the taste for Hong Kong – really, you’re hooked! It’s a bit like this XO Sauce which is used as a condiment and is thought to have first originated in Hong Kong. According to Gourmet Traveller, XO Sauce was named after the XO Cognac to symbolize wealth, and status. The dish is used as a relish and made from chillies, shallots, garlic, dried scallops, dried shrimps and Chinese ham (we substitute prosciutto as Chinese Ham is hard to come by in Australia). For some, the sauce can be overpowering but to me it’s majestic and worth of it’s title as the Emperor of All Sauces. The recipe I’m sharing with you today is from Tony Tan which was printed in the Australian Gourmet Traveller and was pointed out by Ellie.
The sauce is made by first deep frying the dried scallops and prawns and then adding the other ingredients and cooking over a medium heat for around an hour. The result, like the destination that has made this sauce so popular, is a multi-layered paste – spicy, salty, sweet and very addictive. XO Sauce can seem labour intensive but I used my thermomix to chop the garlic, shallots and I am sure a food processor would work just as well.
XO is a fantastic way to enhance the flavour of certain dishes. Dumplings, stir fries, noodles or even as a topping for rice and beancurd. In this recipe I used the XO sauce as a flavour base for a steaming bowl of pippies on top of egg noodles.
XO Sauce with Pippies
Recipe from Tony Tan
- 25 grams dried scallops
- 75 grams dried prawns
- 250 ml vegetable oil
- 20 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 6 french shallots, finely chopped
- 80 grams prosciutto, finely shredded
- 4 red chilies, seeded, finely chopped
- 15 grams dried long chilies, soaked in warm water for around 20 minutes, finely chopped
- 5 grams roasted shrimp paste (belacan – placed in foil and toasted over a gas stove flame or in the oven)
- 15 grams sugar, or to taste
- Soak the dried scallops and dried prawns separately in 125 ml hot water each until plump (preferably overnight)
- Drain the scallops and reserve the water. Tear the scallops into fine shreds, pat it dry on absorbent paper and set aside. Drain the prawns, reserve water and chop them finely and set aside.
- Heat 125 ml of the oil in a large wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the scallops to deep fry until very crisp (around 1 to 2 minutes; cover with the lid as they may spit) Drain well and reserve the oil. Wipe out the wok with absorbent paper, add the reserved oil and remaining oil and return to medium heat.
- Add the garlic, shallots and dried prawns and stir continuously until golden brown (around 4 to 5 minutes)
- Add the prosciutto, fresh chili, and dried chili, fry for a few seconds (be careful it might burn easily), then add the shrimp paste, fried scallops and reserved scallop and prawn water and stir continuously for a few seconds.
- Add the remaining ingredients and a pinch of salt and stir occasionally until fragrant and water has completely evaporated (it took me around an hour over low heat)
- Remove from heat, strain (reserve oil), transfer solids to a sterile jar, then pour in enough reserved oil to cover. Makes about 2 cups. XO sauce will keep refrigerated in a sealed container for 1 month
For the pippies, I sauteed around 100 grams of the XO sauce with a kilo of pippies. Serve with noodles or steamed rice.
Note: A thermomix is great for making this sauce – it’s perfect to use for chopping/shredding all the ingredients.
I’ve never been to Hong King, but would love to. The sauce looks quite tasty!
Very impressive! Homemade XO sauce – gotta try that one day for sure. I think the pipis are a perfect vessel for it too. Yum!
woah, home-made xo sauce! and it looks so good with the clams and noodles. You’re making me so weak with hunger now, lol
This is totally awesome. I love xo sauce with seafood, have bookmarked this recipe but never got around to make it. Looking at your success, think I will finally make it next week. Thanks for the shout out!
I actually have the dried scallops after shopping with LeQuan… but how long will it keep?
🙂
I love how you paired XO sauce and pippies with cheapie instant noodles! You’re doing it in style!
Gorgeous shots, Trissa! Wish I could taste this, because I feel like I almost can from the photos 8).
OX pipi’s with fried vermicelli based is one of my favourite Chinese restaurant dishes!! yours looks great!
pipi and xo sauce – how do you know my guilty pleasure 😉
I love XO sauce… my mum has a friend who makes them at home – unfortunately they are in Taiwan so that doesn’t really help me lol. But this does! Will have to whip up a batch when I get some time. Btw, if you like HK, you’ll like Taiwan too 😉 Good shopping and good food is the name of the game!
Pipies is such a cute word.
Love these flavours, the spicier the better 🙂
XO sauce is always something my mum reaches for when she is cooking. I have never thought of making it though. I havent eaten pipies since I was 16. I had a semi traumatic experience. Traumatic experience catching them, not eating them. I got stuck in quick sand. So scary. Maybe I need to start eating them again. Your dish looks yummy Trissa.
Funny enough I have a post coming soon about Hong Kong. I’m getting better at liking the place more and more. I adore XO sauce Trissa…you’ve made it look even better! (I bet it tastes amazing!)
I so love XO sauce. Dried scallops are exxy though. But I guess cheaper still than buying it from the shop.
This looks fabu-licious, Trissa!
XO sauce is such a status symbol, so typically Hong Kong. I love both, too! Have you tried I Love Salmon? It’s like XO with a salmon-y flavour, very nice.
Trissa, I’ve gotta try this one. Your so right, there’s nothing like Hong Kong shopping & those sales…., to die for.
XO Sauce!!! Nice one, thanks for sharing.
I have been to hong kong only once, that thought very busy fly through visit only. I would love to see it more in leisure!
I like to try out local cuisine and where local hangout, if they do not mind and learn more. It is much more fun that way.
this is some serious sauce…i can imagine the depth of flavor.
This is so unusual to me! But I’m all more intrigued, I’ve never made XO sauce and never even bought a bottle from the shop!
This is not breakfast food but it’s making my mouth water at 8 in the morning. I’ve been craving Asian flavors so this would fit the bill so nicely.
Hong Kong is definitely on my to-visit list. Hope to experience it sooner than later. 🙂
One of my favourite sauces! I love HK but I won’t want to settle there, the whole city feels so crowded.
I’ve been waiting for this XO sauce recipe since I saw your tweets about it. Can’t wait to try it out. Thank you for sharing.
Glad to know that you love visiting this little place, my hometown. Hope I can go back and visit my family soon.
Kudos to you, Trissa! This is one of those dishes that even chefs would tell you to just buy off the shelf. Good job!