So what in the world is XO sauce?! I’ve seen the name here and there but finally decided to find out more. Turns out, it’s been around since the 1980’s, when it was created in Hong Kong for Cantonese cuisine. The name has always intrigued me. In fact, the sauce was named after the expensive French cognac XO, which is a high-end luxury item that was popular in Hong Kong at the same time! So interesting!
The sauce is really unique, with everything from dried seafood to ham to chile peppers and alliums. It can be used for absolutely anything. At a Cantonese restaurant a while back I ordered fried rice with lobster and XO sauce, shown below.
The rice was delicious but I knew I had to make the sauce.
The recipe I’m using is from Serious Eats by Sasha Marx. The author and culinary editor refers to it as the “Mount Rushmore” of condiments. I definitely share his love of condiments, and was so excited to make it.
After having the opportunity to actually taste this multi-level flavorful sauce, I can say that it is definitely worth making at home. Commercial jars are expensive and contain too much sugar, according to Sasha Marx.
This sauce would be good on just about anything. It may take the place of my most recent addictions – Truff and Chili Onion Crisp. Try it on eggs, rice, vegetables like broccolini, various meats, and much more. I made an egg fried rice with Chinese sausage with a generous spoonful of the sauce.
XO Sauce
5 ounces (140g) dried shrimp
5 ounces (140g) dried scallops
10 garlic cloves
3 large shallots (about 5 ounces; 140g), quartered
One 3-inch piece (2 ounces; 56g) fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 to 4 fresh Thai red chile peppers, roughly chopped (see notes)
2 cups (475ml) vegetable oil
3 ounces (85g) Jinhua ham, minced (see note)
3 to 5 dried Thai chiles, finely ground (1 to 2 teaspoons); optional (see note)
1/2 cup (120ml) Shaoxing wine (see note)
1 1/2 cups (355ml) chicken broth
1/4 cup (60ml) oyster sauce
2 tablespoons (30ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (24g) brown sugar
2 pieces whole star anise
Place shrimp and scallops in separate medium microwave-safe bowls and cover with at least 2 inches of boiling water. Set aside to soak for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 2 hours. (Alternatively, you can soak the shrimp and scallops in cold water overnight in the refrigerator.)
Drain shrimp completely. Drain scallops, leaving 2 tablespoons (30ml) soaking water along with the scallops in the bowl. Cover bowl with a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high heat until scallops are tender and easily break apart when pinched between your fingers, about 3 minutes.
Drain scallops of remaining liquid and transfer them to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse scallops 7 times, until just broken into thin strands, then transfer back to their original bowl. Add shrimp to food processor and pulse 10 times, until coarsely chopped. Transfer shrimp back to their original bowl.
Finally, combine garlic, shallots, ginger, and Thai chiles in food processor bowl and pulse 12 to 15 times, until finely chopped but not puréed. Set mixture aside.
In a large Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add ham and cook, stirring frequently with a heat-resistant spatula or wooden spoon, until ham is crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add scallops to pot and continue to cook, stirring frequently to separate strands, until scallops are lightly golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add shrimp and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until seafood is a deep golden color, 7 to 10 minutes. The oil in the pot will be very bubbly during this stage, making it difficult to see what is going on in the bottom of the pot, so you will need to occasionally use your spatula or a slotted spoon to pick a spoonful of the mixture up out of the oil to check its color.
Add vegetable mixture to pot and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are golden brown and fond begins to form at the bottom of the pot, 8 to 10 minutes. Add ground dried chiles and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Deglaze with Shaoxing wine, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the pot.
Stir in chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and star anise and continue to cook at a rapid simmer until mixture is thickened and most of the liquid has been absorbed into the sauce, leaving a thin layer of bubbling oil on the surface of the pot, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Once XO sauce has cooled, divide into jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before using.
The XO sauce is a crazy mixture! But it works. It’s delicious.
For an actual fried rice recipe, check out David Chang’s bacon fried rice.