101 uses for XO sauce | Kitchen aide
I love XO sauce and use it on rice (plain and fried), noodles and steamed fish.But I often struggle to finish a jar – any advice on other ways of using it?Chris, via email“I’m absolutely stunned that Chris has any problem finishing a jar of XO sauce,” says Fuchsia Dunlop, author of Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food.“You can literally eat the stuff by the spoonful straight from the jar, although that would feel quite extravagant.” This, of course, is because the umami condiment, said to have been invented in Hong Kong’s Spring Moon restaurant at the Peninsula hotel in the mid-1980s, is something of a luxury.As Jenny Lau, author of An A-Z of Chinese Food, explains, XO sauce “must contain three core ingredients: dried shrimp, dried scallop and preserved ham”, which don’t come cheap.
“Anything else, though, and it will be an imitation.”The powerhouse sauce, which also features chillies and alliums, is used both in cooking and as a table condiment.“It basically makes anything taste more interesting,” Dunlop says, and Chris is on the right track with what he’s been doing with it.“One of the best ways to appreciate XO sauce is to have it with plain rice; you taste that lovely, chewy texture, the delicious savouriness of the scallops and the kick of chilli heat.” And, because it’s oil-based, XO works brilliantly in fried dishes, too, although that doesn’t include fried rice in Dunlop’s book: “While it is delicious, I feel that’s a bit of a waste,” she says.
“I’d rather use dried shrimp in fried rice and keep my XO sauce for having bits in your chopsticks to enjoy.” That might be in stir-fried noodles, say, or spooned into veg: “I once had some amazing stir-fried king oyster mushrooms with XO sauce in Hangzhou,” Dunlop says.But, really, XO sauce will “bring depth to just about anything bland”, Lau says, so be sure to try it with white meat or fish, too.“The Cantonese way of cooking is that we don’t over-season things, so XO adds that special element to simple, home-cooked dishes.” Another case in point is eggs: “It’s fantastic with poached eggs, fried eggs, boiled eggs, well, any kind of eggs, really,” Dunlop says, so that’s something she’ll often have for breakfast.
Buttered crumpets are another good vehicle for XO sauce, she adds, because “you’re using it as an accompaniment in the Chinese way, but you can really taste it because it’s on the top”,Otherwise, try it in a sandwich: “It’s common to have mayo mashups, such as with sriracha, so why not add a spoonful of XO sauce instead?” Lau says, or blend the stuff with peanut butter, a little water, some soy sauce and maybe some vinegar: “That’s a really nice dressing for noodles or pasta salad, or even a salad,” says Lau,“Just add a tablespoon much as you would pesto,”And here’s another thing: XO sauce does keep – “as long as everything is below the oil,” Lau notes – so there’s no immediate rush for Chris to finish that jar, anyway,That said, cook some rice, poach some eggs and get a load of crumpets in, and it won’t be hanging around all that much longer.
Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian,com
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101 uses for XO sauce | Kitchen aide
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