101 Uses For Xo Sauce | Kitchen Aide

1 week ago

I emotion XO condiment and usage it connected rice (plain and fried), noodles and steamed fish. But I often struggle to decorativeness a jar – immoderate proposal connected different ways of using it?
Chris, via email
“I’m perfectly stunned that Chris has immoderate problem finishing a jar of XO sauce,” says Fuchsia Dunlop, writer of Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food. “You tin virtually eat nan worldly by nan spoonful consecutive from nan jar, though that would consciousness rather extravagant.” This, of course, is because nan umami condiment, said to person been invented successful Hong Kong’s Spring Moon edifice astatine the Peninsula hotel successful nan mid-1980s, is thing of a luxury. As Jenny Lau, writer of An A-Z of Chinese Food, explains, XO condiment “must incorporate 3 halfway ingredients: dried shrimp, dried scallop and preserved ham”, which don’t travel cheap. “Anything else, though, and it will beryllium an imitation.”

The powerhouse sauce, which besides features chillies and alliums, is utilized some successful cooking and arsenic a array condiment. “It fundamentally makes thing sensation much interesting,” Dunlop says, and Chris is connected nan correct way pinch what he’s been doing pinch it. “One of nan champion ways to admit XO condiment is to person it pinch plain rice; you sensation that lovely, chewy texture, nan delicious savouriness of nan scallops and nan footwear of chilli heat.” And, because it’s oil-based, XO useful brilliantly successful fried dishes, too, though that doesn’t see fried atom successful Dunlop’s book: “While it is delicious, I consciousness that’s a spot of a waste,” she says. “I’d alternatively usage dried shrimp successful fried atom and support my XO condiment for having bits successful your chopsticks to enjoy.” That mightiness beryllium successful stir-fried noodles, say, aliases spooned into veg: “I erstwhile had immoderate astonishing stir-fried king oyster mushrooms pinch XO condiment successful Hangzhou,” Dunlop says.

But, really, XO condiment will “bring extent to conscionable astir thing bland”, Lau says, truthful beryllium judge to effort it pinch achromatic nutrient aliases fish, too. “The Cantonese measurement of cooking is that we don’t over-season things, truthful XO adds that typical constituent to simple, home-cooked dishes.” Another lawsuit successful constituent is eggs: “It’s awesome pinch poached eggs, fried eggs, boiled eggs, well, immoderate benignant of eggs, really,” Dunlop says, truthful that’s thing she’ll often person for breakfast. Buttered crumpets are different bully conveyance for XO sauce, she adds, because “you’re utilizing it arsenic an accompaniment successful nan Chinese way, but you tin really sensation it because it’s connected nan top”. Otherwise, effort it successful a sandwich: “It’s communal to person mayo mashups, specified arsenic pinch sriracha, truthful why not adhd a spoonful of XO condiment instead?” Lau says, aliases blend nan worldly pinch peanut butter, a small water, immoderate soy condiment and possibly immoderate vinegar: “That’s a really bully dressing for noodles aliases pasta salad, aliases moreover a salad,” says Lau. “Just adhd a tablespoonful overmuch arsenic you would pesto.”

And here’s different thing: XO condiment does support – “as agelong arsenic everything is beneath nan oil,” Lau notes – truthful there’s nary contiguous unreserved for Chris to decorativeness that jar, anyway. That said, navigator immoderate rice, poach immoderate eggs and get a load of crumpets in, and it won’t beryllium hanging astir each that overmuch longer.