xo Sauce

Homemade XO Sauce

A richly umami Cantonese condiment built on dried scallops, cured ham, and slow-fried aromatics. A small spoon transforms plain rice, vegetables, or noodles into something lavish.

Prep

30 min

Cook

90 min

Total

120 min

Serves

Makes roughly 350 g (12 oz); about 12 servings of 1 tbsp

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •60 g (2 oz (about 1/2 cup)) dried scallops, whole, dried
• •100 g (3½ oz) Jinhua-style cured ham, diced into 5 mm pieces; substitute with Smithfield or other dry-cured ham
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) neutral oil, peanut or canola; reserve 30 ml to bloom the chili
• •80 g (½ cup) shallots, finely diced
• •40 g (about 5 medium cloves) garlic, finely minced
• •30 g (2 tbsp) fresh red chili, such as Thai or Fresno, finely minced
• •20 g (2 tbsp) dried red chili, roughly crumbled, seeds partly removed
• •15 g (¼ cup loosely packed) dried shrimp, shell-on, small size, roughly chopped
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) Shaoxing wine
• •10 g (2 tsp) sugar, fine granulated
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, adjust to taste
• •1 g (½ tsp) ground white pepper
• •10 ml (2 tsp) light soy sauce
• •5 ml (1 tsp) oyster sauce, use a gluten-free variety if needed

Steps

1. 1 Place the dried scallops in a small bowl, cover with hot water by 2 cm (¾ inch), and soak for 1 hour. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid. Tear each scallop into thin shreds by hand; keep any powdery crumbs.
2. 2 In a small pan over low heat, dry-fry the cured ham until lightly golden and a little fat renders, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and reserve.
3. 3 In a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or wok, heat 170 ml (¾ cup) of the oil over medium-low heat until shimmering, about 150°C (300°F) on a thermometer. Add the scallop shreds and pan-fry, stirring often, until they turn golden and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes; lower the heat if they threaten to brown too fast. Lift the scallops out with a slotted spoon and reserve.
4. 4 Add the dried shrimp to the same oil and fry until fragrant and slightly puffed, 2 to 3 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.
5. 5 Add the shallots to the oil and gently fry, stirring frequently, until they turn a pale golden hue, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and fresh chili and continue to fry until the shallots are deeply golden and the garlic smells nutty, another 8 to 10 minutes. Do not let the garlic scorch; reduce heat if it colors too quickly.
6. 6 Tip in the crumbled dried chili and fry briefly, 30 seconds, so it deepens in color but does not burn. Pour in the reserved scallop soaking liquid (about 120 ml / ½ cup, leaving any grit in the bowl) along with the Shaoxing wine and soy sauce; let it bubble down until the volume is reduced by roughly half, 4 to 5 minutes.
7. 7 Return the scallops, dried shrimp, and cured ham to the pot along with the sugar, salt, white pepper, and oyster sauce. Stir to combine and simmer gently, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the mixture looks like a thick, glossy paste and no puddle of oil remains on the surface.
8. 8 Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat the remaining 30 ml (2 tbsp) of oil with about 5 g of the red chili flakes until the oil just turns a deep red and smells aromatic, about 2 minutes off heat. Stir this chili oil into the sauce for extra color and heat.
9. 9 Taste and adjust salt; the sauce should be savory-sweet with a deep chili hum. Cool to room temperature, transfer to a clean glass jar, and cover with a thin layer of oil to help preserve it. Keep refrigerated up to 4 weeks.