dried scallops

In Hong Kong in the 1980s, when expensive Cognac was all the rage, legend has it that some smart cook at the Spring Moon restaurant in the Peninsula Hotel on Kowloon got it into his head to name the funky new condiment he’d come up with after the status mark on the bottle of Remy Martin at the bar: “XO,” extra old, rare, very expensive. The stuff was a hit: dried scallops and dried shrimp, a ton of chiles, a faint pork-smokiness and a whisper of allium, expensive to make and worth it for the flavor-enhancing pop. By the end of the decade, XO sauce was on menus all over Hong Kong and eventually the world. Recipes for XO vary wildly, save for those scallops and shrimp. Mine derives from the teachings of Diana Kuan, who included a formidable XO in her 2019 cookbook, “Red Hot Kitchen.”

XO Sauce

dried scallops (ideally dinner-size)

red chiles,

jalapeño

garlic cloves,

shallots,

shrimp

bacon,

neutral oil,

dark brown sugar

Place the scallops in a steamer insert, and fit the insert into a small pot with about an inch of water beneath the bottom of the insert. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.

Once the water boils, cover the pot, and steam over medium heat until the scallops are soft, 20 minutes or so. Transfer the scallops to a medium bowl, and save about 1/2 cup of the liquid remaining in the pot. When the scallops are cool to the touch, break them up with your fingers, and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until they have turned into fine threads. Scrape the shredded scallops back into the bowl.

Place the dried chiles, fresh chiles and garlic in the food processor, and pulse until the mixture forms a paste that sticks to the sides of the work bowl, scraping down the sides as needed. (This may take a few minutes.) Scrape the chile-garlic paste into the bowl with the shredded scallops.

Place the shallots, dried shrimp and bacon in the food processor, and pulse until minced.

Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high. When it is very hot, add the oil, and swirl to coat the surface of the wok or skillet. Add the shallot mixture, and stir-fry until the mixture is very fragrant and beginning to crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, and stir-fry again until the mixture starts to caramelize, 30 to 45 seconds.

Add the shredded scallop mixture and stir-fry for another 30 to 45 seconds, then add the reserved cooking water from the scallops. Cook until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Transfer to a lidded glass container, and let cool. Once mixture has cooled, cover, and refrigerate. Refrigerated, the XO sauce will keep up to 1 month.

Fresh shrimp and squid, egg noodles, bamboo shoots and snow peas are the main ingredients in this standard Hong Kong restaurant dish, in which the cooked noodles are pan-fried.

Shrimp chow mein with vegetables

(2 ounces) dried scallops (conpoy)

(14 ounces) fresh egg noodles

squid,

shrimp,

(5⅓ oz) snow peas

water chestnuts, peeled

celery

spring onions

bamboo shoots,

(1tbsp) oyster sauce

(2tsp) fish sauce

sugar

⅛tsp finely ground white pepper

(4 scant tsp) cornstarch

cooking oil,

 Briefly rinse the dried scallops under running water, then put them in a bowl, add 200ml (¾ cup plus 1tbsp) of boiling water and leave to soak until fully hydrated.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the noodles. Use chopsticks to pull apart the noodles, separating them into strands. Cook until al dente, then drain and divide into four portions. 

Heat an 18cm (7in) skillet over a medium flame, then pour in oil to a depth of about 5mm (¼ in). Put one portion of the noodles into the skillet, spreading them out so they are evenly distributed in the pan in a loose, flat cake. Pan-fry the noodles over a medium-low flame until crisp and lightly browned, pressing with a metal spatula to compress them slightly. If needed, drizzle in more oil around the perimeter of the pan, tilting the skillet so it flows under the noodles. Flip the noodle cake over and fry the other side until crisp and lightly browned, adding oil as necessary. Slide the noodle cake onto a plate. Cook the remaining noodles the same way.

Clean the squid. Pull the tentacles straight out of the body, which will remove most of the innards. Pull the quill and remaining innards out of the body, then rinse it inside and out with running water. Pull off and discard the tough, purplish membrane from the body. Cut the body into rings about 5mm (⅙in) thick. Cut the tentacles from the face and beak. Dry the squid rings and tentacles with paper towels. 

Peel the shrimp and cut off the heads. (Reserve the shells and heads to make shrimp stock or shrimp oil.) Cut a slit down the back of the shrimp and remove and discard the vein.

Strain the conpoy through a fine sieve placed over a measuring cup and press on the scallops to extract as much liquid as possible. Reserve the soaking liquid. Pull the conpoy into thin shreds. You should have 150ml (⅔ cup) of soaking liquid; if there’s not enough, add some water. Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar and pepper to the soaking liquid and stir until dissolved. (If you're not using conpoy, add the seasonings to 150ml (⅔ cup) of plain water.)

Cut the snow peas on the diagonal into 1cm (7/16in) pieces. Peel the water chestnuts and rinse them thoroughly, then slice about 3mm (⅛in) thick. Cut the Chinese celery and spring onions into 3cm (1¼in) lengths. 

If using whole bamboo shoots, remove the thick husk to expose the flesh then trim off and discard the woody base. Slice the bamboo about 3mm (⅛in) thick, then cut into pieces about 1cm (7/16in) wide. Bring a pot of water to the boil, add the bamboo shoots and simmer for five minutes. Drain the bamboo shoots. 

 Mix the cornstarch with 40ml (¼ cup and 1tbsp) of water.
 

Heat a wok over a high flame and pour in about 15ml (1tbsp) of oil. When the oil is hot, add the bamboo shoots and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the snow peas and celery and stir-fry for about a minute, then mix in the spring onions and cook for about 30 seconds. Take the ingredients from the wok.

Place the wok back over a high flame and add about 15ml (1tbsp) of oil. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp and stir-fry until they curl up and turn pink. Add the cooked vegetables back to the wok, then stir in the shredded conpoy (if using) and the soaking liquid/sauces mixture. Bring to a simmer then stir in the squid. Taste for seasonings and correct, if necessary.

 Push the solid ingredients to the side of the wok. Stir the corn­starch/water mixture well, then drizzle it into the simmering liquid, mixing constantly. Add just enough cornstarch/water to thicken the liquid into a sauce that lightly coats the ingredients. You might not need all the cornstarch/water.

If you want a more casual style of serving, pull apart the pan-fried noodle cakes. Add the noodles to the wok and mix briefly to combine the ingredients - this distributes the flavours more evenly. Scoop the mixture onto plates. For a nicer presentation, use the noodles as a flat “nest” and top it with the stir-fried ingredients. Serve immediately with stir-fried green vegetables.

"In some places dumplings and noodles are cooked together - gold silk and gold ingots" - Kym Machin. Recipe by Kym Machin.

Roasted pork belly recipe with dumpling noodle soup

fresh wheat noodles (from Asian food shops)

store-bought pork dumplings

Shredded ginger

green shallots

Coriander leaves

Chilli oil

fine salt

tsp fine salt

star anise

Sichuan peppercorns

(50 grams) ginger, thinly sliced

Extra finely grated 5cm piece (25 grams) ginger

green shallots, chopped

Extra 5 crushed garlic cloves

Chinese rice wine (shaohsing)

1kg boneless pork belly (skin on)

(500 milliliters) Chinese red vinegar (from Asian food shops)

maltose syrup (from Asian food shops)

(55 grams) caster sugar

tsp Chinese five spice powder

white pepper

chicken stock

chicken wings

(100 grams) ginger, thinly sliced

dried scallops (from Asian food shops)

thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped

(60 milliliters) light soy sauce

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"Umami-packed XO sauce is a must-have in any home cook’s kitchen. Add to stir-fried greens or shellfish pasta dishes, smother over chicken wings before baking or simply dollop alongside your favourite steamed dumplings. Or you could always pack some onto a burger or add atop a bowl of cooked rice with a fried, soft-centred egg." – Tracey Pattison


Chilli XO sauce recipe

conpoy (dried scallops, from Asian grocers) and dried shrimp

water

eschalots, quartered

long red chillies,

ginger

vegetable oil

pancetta, finely chopped

20.00 ml red chilli powder

40.00 ml soy sauce

40.00 ml oyster sauce

tsp caster sugar

Step 1

Place the conpoy and dried shrimp in 2 separate small heatproof bowls. Cover each with 1 cup (250ml) boiling water. Stand for 1 hour.

Step 2

Strain each through fine sieve, reserving their soaking liquid. Place soaked conpoy in a small food processor. Whiz until shredded, then transfer to a small bowl. Place soaked shrimp in same processor. Whiz until chopped and transfer to bowl with conpoy.

Step 3

Add the eschalot, red chillies and ginger to same processor. Whiz, scraping down the side of bowl occasionally, until finely chopped and a paste forms.

Step 4

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron frypan over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until the fat just starts to melt. Add the gochugaru, conpoy and shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until starting to look slightly crisp.

Step 5

Add sauces, rice wine, sugar, 1 tsp fine salt, reserved soaking liquids and eschalot paste. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally to begin with and more frequently towards the end of cooking, for 2 hours or until mixture has reduced to a rich, slightly sticky consistency, with a thick layer of red-tinged oil on top (the mixture should cook at a consistent and very gentle bubble).

Step 6

Immediately spoon into a 4-cup (1L) capacity sterilised jar, wipe rim clean with paper towel, seal and stand at room temperature until completely cooled. Chill for 1 week before using. Stir well before using or serving.

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