Keep in mind that buying a substitute sauce from off the shelf, such as the ones we’ve mentioned, will provide a different flavor to your food. Add the seafood and cook for six to 8 minutes or until golden in color. It was originally intended to be sipped over ice or straight... Cuisinevault is your online cooking companion offering loads of recipes, tips, hacks and much more. Drain most of the liquid out of the scallops leaving about 2 tablespoons in the bowl. The sauce isn’t supposed to be eye-watering hot so avoid hot chilis. Transfer the seafood to a bowl. First, add some mild fresh chili at the start of cooking and a light sprinkle of paprika. Add the scallops and shrimps to a food processor and pulse for five to 10 times until they appear coarsely chopped. XO sauce is fascinating and one of its charms is that the recipe is extremely flexible, so enjoy experimenting! The combination of chili, garlic, Jinhua ham, dried scallops, and shrimps is cooked until jam-like sauce results. Guys. XO Sauce only appeared in Cantonese cuisine as a result of the boom times of the 1980s. Soy sauce and oyster sauce provide more backbone to the umami notes in the pork and seafood, while vegetable aromatics and chilies bring freshness and heat to the sauce. Although each of these options has its own taste and texture, you’ll find they both bring a salty, umami flavor to stir-fries and other cooked dishes. It always handy to have a bottle of XO sauce in the kitchen, where it can be eaten on its own as a condiment or used in stir-fries. Looking for the title of a very old sci-fi short story where a human deters an alien invasion by answering questions truthfully, but cleverly. What is the value of having tube amp in guitar power amp? Developed in the 1980s in Hong Kong for Cantonese cuisine, XO sauce is For a milder condiment, you can either use less of them or omit the ground dried chilies entirely. The 10 Best Watercress Substitutes In Cooking, What Does Pheasant Taste Like? Most recipes require several hours of standing time so it may not be appropriate if you’re in a hurry. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Join the discussion today. Check out the recipe further down this page to make your own. XO sauce can be quite expensive depending on where you buy it from and it isn’t an everyday ingredient like barbecue or tomato sauce. The oyster sauce and soy sauce contain a lot of umami compounds to give the XO sauce its rich, savory flavor. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Keep in mind that Chinese chefs like to keep a bit of chunky texture in their sauce, rather than blending or straining it into a finer liquid; this helps the eater to discern the various star ingredients in the sauce. Chinese XO sauce was invented as a luxury—so it's no surprise it turns everything it touches into gold. Many people won’t have access to this meat in their local store so instead, add another meat that’s more common in your area. XO sauce doesn’t have a long history and is believed to have been created during the 1980s in Hong Kong. The sauce usually uses Chinese Jinhua ham but bacon is a tasty easy to find alternative. XO SAUCE The information that’s been posted about XO sauce is mostly right on the money. Stick with us to improve your game in the kitchen and gain knowledge not readily available on the other cooking sites. So if it isn't on your summer seafood platter yet, it's time to add some. Pour in the chicken broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and star anise. It’s actually a good substitute for dark soy sauce because it has more flavour than light and all purpose soy sauce. There is also a subtle caramel undertone that offers a subtle sweetness to dishes. The standard substitute for Shaoxing wine is dry white sherry, but Japanese cooking wine will work too. Ever since, the fascination with this “caviar of the east” has continued to spread. A comparison of ponzu and soy sauce. XO is a flavor-packed sauce that gets its unique taste from a wide range of relatively expensive ingredients. The flavor and texture of oyster sauce will certainly differ from XO. Its thick texture makes it a useful condiment for dipping dumplings, meat, and fried foods into. It is Use the Shaoxing wine to deglaze the pan, being sure to scrape any delicious bits of brown food off the side of the pot. Good XO sauce, she says, is like having ''money in the bank''. Is asking for a “Chinese menu” in a Chinese restaurant a common way to get more authentic dishes? It is a gourmet condiment made from the finest dried scallop, ham, dried shrimp, red chili pepper and spices. This is the hottest part of the spice and you don’t want it to overwhelm the other flavors in the sauce. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Notes This recipe makes about 500gm. As with cutting bacon or guanciale, placing the ham in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before working with it makes it easier to cut. For a more authentic XO sauce, your best option is to make a homemade version. But once you try this with seafood, on a plate of steamed vegetables or even a spoonful dolloped on plain noodles or steamed rice you may understand why this is such a glorious sauce. I will not bore you with all the story stuff. You can roll your own XO sauce by stir frying (of couse, everything chopped) shallots, chili peppers, garlic, Jinhua ham, dried shrimps, dried scallops (conpoy), and cooking Shaoxing wine, approximately in this order. For a more authentic dish, you are best to make your own with this recipe. Another important addition to XO sauce is Jinhua ham. Oyster sauce is commonly used in Chinese cuisine for adding color and flavor to food. A good alternative to Jinhua ham would be Spanish jamón serrano (or ibérico), or essentially any dry cured ham. rev 2020.12.18.38240, Sorry, we no longer support Internet Explorer, The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Seasoned Advice works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us, How to make a restaurant style meatless Hot and Sour Soup. Many of the common ingredients used in teriyaki sauce such as garlic, brown sugar, ginger, and soy sauce also used in XO. Is my Connection is really encrypted through vpn? Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Having conquered some key sauce recipes on the blog so far––like Homemade Chili Oil, Chiu Chow Sauce, Ginger Scallion Sauce––there’s been a pretty long wind-up to mastering this most beloved of condiments: XO SAUCE. By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. A seasonal XO sauce and oyster sauce dry noodle. Thai chilies are very spicy. What is your favorite Asian condiment? Microwave the scallops for two to three minutes on high until they easily break up and are tender. Combine ginger, shallots, chilis, and garlic in the processor and pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped but still have some texture. XO names a premium spicy sauce that has originated in Hong Kong in the last 10-15 years (I believe). What is the status of foreign cloud apps in German universities? These alternatives are readily available in the Asian section of the supermarket or at Asian grocers. The dried seafood gives the sauce a deep savoriness that flavors pretty much anything you put it on or cook with it. Can a smartphone light meter app be used for 120 format cameras? What happens when writing gigabytes of data to a pipe? Brown sugar, star anise, and Chinese rice wine (also called Shaoxing wine) lend warmth and sweetness, and chicken stock gives the XO some extra meatiness. You will fall into love with its sauce aroma and in-depth sauce’s flavor. It’s a collection of the most prized ingredients from around China, and it was named after XO cognac – a status symbol of decadence and sophistication in Hong Kong at the time. As a substitute for Xo sauce, blend together a thumb-sized piece of ginger with 3 cloves garlic and a shallot (or half an onion), 1 tsp prawn paste, 2 tsp each of soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce. Teriyaki sauce is another popular condiment that can be found in stores around the world. Amer Picon is a French aperitif that offers a unique bittersweet orange flavor. Understanding the zero current in a simple circuit. Anyways, after much searching I have failed to find any and even Ingredient substitute for sriracha hot sauce, Vegan binder for chinese style dumpling fillings. Carefully add the meat and cook until crisp, stirring frequently. A good alternative to Jinhua ham would be Spanish jamón serrano (or ibérico), or essentially any dry cured ham. Can someone suggest a reasonable facsimile for Chinese XO sauce? XO sauce is a spicy seafood sauce that originated from Hong Kong. Can every continuous function between topological manifolds be turned into a differentiable map? Traditionally, the It is like a caviar of the East. You are here because you love XO sauce and want to try making it at home. Mushroom soy sauce – it’s like all purpose soy sauce with the addition of earthy mushroom flavour. Hoisin sauce. I've never had XO, but the description of the dish sounded right up my alley.