"XO Sauce"

[PCL]

is100: as a London resident, you'd be able to get decent XO sauce at the Royal China chain of restaurants. Personally, I think the Canary Wharf branch and the Queensway branch are exceptional. Baker St is good too.

When I was last there in mid-2004, they did have take away jars of the stuff available. Cooking it at home, unless you have good ventilation etc and industrial rangehood, be prepared for long lasting XO perfumes.

[Gastro888]

I think Chinese dounuts are those fried balls covered in sugar that you get at Chinese buffets. They're fluffy and kinda breadlike instead of spongy. Think Chinese trailer-park food...not healthy but tasty.

[PCL]

Here in Aussie-land everyone knows Chinese donuts to be 'yau-cha-gwei'.

There are other things in the same family no? Like 'ham-sui-kok', 'mah-kiok' (trans. horse's foot) all of which can be eaten as savoury or dessert, and if the former, would work well with dollops of XO.

[Yuki]

Sorry but I usually don't cook Chinese food with exact recipes so I can not give the precise details

Picture of Dried Shrimp Roe

[hzrt8w]

What does dried shrimp roe look like?

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They are also the ones used in making "Ha Gei Mein" 虾子面 (shrimp roe noodles), which are dried and coiled up in flatten egg-shape.

[hzrt8w]

Here in Aussie-land everyone knows Chinese donuts to be 'yau-cha-gwei'.

There are other things in the same family no? Like 'ham-sui-kok', 'mah-kiok' (trans. horse's foot) all of which can be eaten as savoury or dessert, and if the former, would work well with dollops of XO.

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"Ham Sui Kok" is kind of in the dim sum family. It is glutinous rice flour dough with savory minced pork fillings, deep-fried.

There is a sweet version of fried dough in the "Yau Cha Gwei" family, which is called "Ngau Lei So" (literal translation: Ox tongue puff). Perhaps the name was given because it shapes like an Ox's tongue? Kind of...

[Gastro888]

Thanks, Yuki!

I never heard of those noodles before, hzrt8w. What do you use them for?

Funny, "yau tew" is referred to as "fried big noodle" instead of Chinese donut. I wonder if there is a recipe for that sugary goodness you find in buffets. Hmmm.

[PCL]

Ngau lei so... ARRGGHHH... must go dim sum for lunch today...

Gastro-mui, they're not noodles lah.... doughy things!

So precious!

[Yuki]

Thanks, Yuki!

I never heard of those noodles before, hzrt8w.  What do you use them for?

Funny, "yau tew" is referred to as "fried big noodle" instead of Chinese donut.  I wonder if there is a recipe for that sugary goodness you find in buffets.  Hmmm.

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Hehe, I have packages of shrimp roe noodles at home too. They make a quick meal by just mixing the drained noodles with some oyster sauce, sesame oil, XO sauce, or any seasoning. They are usually quite strong so I don't recommend eating them with a strong broth. If I want to eat it with broth, then it is just plain vegetable broth. Sometimes I will just eat the noodles with the water it is boiled in(it seems to provide quite a strong broth already).

[Gastro888]

Ngau lei so... ARRGGHHH... must go dim sum for lunch today...

Gastro-mui, they're not noodles lah.... doughy things!

So precious!

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Ai ya, I KNOW what "yau tew" is! I was only giving you the English translation - what we have on the menu here in the States. I know they're not noodle things...pfft.

I found a recipe online for the Chinese buffet donuts. You basically take the premade biscut dough in a tube, fry it up and sprinkle it with sugar. Wow.

[hzrt8w]

I never heard of those noodles before, hzrt8w.  What do you use them for?

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Like Yuki said... they are just like other dried noodles. But the addition of dried shrimp roes sure make they much more tastier.

From my experience, most Asian grocers carry only the plain dried noodles but not the shrimp roe noodles in the States. Perhaps that's why you haven't seen them. They taste pretty good, if you can get your hands on some. Try them next time.

Noodle houses in Hong Kong don't offer shrimp roe noodles perhaps because they only make fresh noodles and not dried ones. And I have never seen fresh shrimp roe noodles. Shrimp roe noodles are mostly for home consumption.

I remember when I was small, my great grand mother used to make shrimp roe noodles for us. When the noodle were ready, she scooped up all the fallen dried shrimp roes in the bag (kind of like tiny sesames), and sprinkled them on top of the noodles. Yum!

[is100]

Any recipes for the 'chinese doughnut' out there? It was a fried bread stick about 20cm long, a bit of sugar in the dough but none on top, that was served with the pippies in xo suce at the amazing golden century in sydney.

thanks

isaac

[Yuki]

Any recipes for the 'chinese doughnut' out there? It was a fried bread stick about 20cm long, a bit of sugar in the dough but none on top, that was served with the pippies in xo suce at the amazing golden century in sydney.

thanks

isaac

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The bread stick that I know of is not sweet(at least I can't really taste the sugar) and is usually eaten with congee. Is this the kind that you are talking about? There is a sweet fried dough that is shaped like a cow tongue(kind of like a oval shape) which you can also get a in congee shop.

[Gastro888]

I never heard of those noodles before, hzrt8w.  What do you use them for?

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Like Yuki said... they are just like other dried noodles. But the addition of dried shrimp roes sure make they much more tastier.

I remember when I was small, my great grand mother used to make shrimp roe noodles for us. When the noodle were ready, she scooped up all the fallen dried shrimp roes in the bag (kind of like tiny sesames), and sprinkled them on top of the noodles. Yum!

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Oh yum. Yet another food item on my "foods to take back home" list. I've never heard of them or had them. I will most definitely snag some when I go back next year (woo hoo! Already planning for the trip...)

Oh funny that they call them Chinese donuts. What are pippies? If there wasn't sugar on top, the dough shouldn't have been sweetened.

Sidebar: Sweeten "yau tew" - you're supposed to eat them like that with milk tea, right? I just like mine plain in "jook".

[PCL]

is100: the royal china in london do the clams with the 'bread stick' as a filler at the bottom of the service plate/bowl so that the clams don't saturate in the sauce. the post-clam/pippy devouring of the 'yau-tew' with xo is divine.

gastro-mui/yuki/hzrt8w: i had gotten the whole thing mixed up between donuts, shrimp noodles... 'lup-lup-luen'... story of my life.

[ScorchedPalate]

There's a recipe here. I've no idea how authentic it is, though. Seems to be missing some of the ingredients mentioned earlier in the thread.

Edited March 3, 2005 by ScorchedPalate (log)

[hzrt8w]

There's a recipe here. I've no idea how authentic it is, though. Seems to be missing some of the ingredients mentioned earlier in the thread.

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I took a look at it. It looked fairly close to what Yuki posted.

Except that I have never thought using salted fish to make XO sauce... hmmm, may be a bit too fishy for a chili sauce.

[hzrt8w]

The other style that I always wondered about is the "XO Sauce" stir-fries (shrimp, scallop, squid, seafood combo, etc.).

What makes it "XO Sauce"? Is it the addition of XO chili sauce? XO class brandy? (I doudt that very much) Or the use of dried scallop? There seems to be many different interpretations. And the accompanying vegetables can be all different too. Snap peas? bamboo shoots? Water chestnut slices? Carrot slices? Straw mushrooms? Snow peas?

What have your experiences been? Have your ordered XXXX Stir-Fried in XO Sauce?

[aprilmei]

Some restaurants here make cheung fun stir-fried in XO sauce. It's delish if they don't skimp on the XO sauce.

I haven't tried any seafood versions.

[jo-mel]

According to Grace Young:

"This expensive condiment is sometimes called 'The caviar of the Orient' The XO in the name pays homage to XO brandy, which is revered by the Chinese (there is no brandy in the sauce, however)."

Here is what Wikipedia says:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XO_sauce

I kinda like it, I think. When I've had a dish with it, I never marveled at it, but it does have nice flavor. A little in fried rice is nice.

[jhirshon]

Here is a recipe I found for it:

Ingredients

150 g fresh red chillies

江瑤柱（干貝）　半斤

250 g dried scallops (conpoy)

蒜蓉　三兩

150 g garlic, minced

乾蔥蓉　三兩

150 g onion, finely diced

蝦米　二兩

100 g tiny dried shrimp (unshelled variety)

金華火腿　一兩

50 g Jinhua ham

槽白咸魚　一兩

50 g salt cured fish (see notes)

蝦子　半兩

25 g large dried shrimp (shelled variety)

黑胡椒粉（粗）　半湯匙

½ tbsp coarsely ground pepper (see notes)

做法：

Instructions

1. Seed and wash chillies, then briefly stir fry over low heat until heated through. Remove from heat and drain. Dry in the sun for 2-3 days, until completely dried - this is an important step, do not omit it.

2. Wash and clean conpoy. Soak in water for 2-3 hours, then steam for 3 hours until soft. Cool. Finely shred the conpoy by hand. Reserve the liquid accumulated as a result of the steaming.

3. Soak the shrimp in water for 3 hours. Drain and mince finely.

4. Finely dice the ham into 2mm cubes.

5. Dice the fish into 3mm cubes.

6. Heat “4 bowls” of oil over high heat. Add garlic, onion and shrimp and fry until the mixture stops “steaming”.

7. When the mixture stops steaming, add chillies, ham and fish and continue to cook until the chillies become translucent.

8. Add the conpoy and shelled dried shrimp and “pepper” and reduce heat to low.

9. Continue to cook until only a little steam rises from the mixture. Remove from the heat and allow to cool thoroughly.

10. Place in a container and seal - be sure and store in refrigerator.

Edited May 17, 2006 by jhirshon (log)

[aprilmei]

I've tasted lots of XO sauce - the more expensive Chinese restaurants often serve it as a condiment, and hotels like to send jars of their "homemade" (really hotel-made) XO sauce as gifts. So when I decided to make my own (just for the hell of it) I knew what I wanted and didn't want. I've always preferred the versions without salted fish and ham - I like it with mostly conpoy and just a little dried shrimp. The "better" hotels make their versions this way: I think because conpoy is much more expensive than the other dried ingredients and ham.

The flavour of mine was excellent but if I ever make it again, I'd steam the conpoy much longer - it needs to be very soft. I thought it would soften while being cooked with the other ingredients and while aging in the fridge, but it didn't. The shreds of conpoy are very chewy.

Edited May 19, 2006 by aprilmei (log)

[jo-mel]

I've tasted lots of XO sauce - the more expensive Chinese restaurants often serve it as a condiment, and hotels like to send jars of their "homemade" (really hotel-made) XO sauce as gifts. So when I decided to make my own (just for the hell of it) I knew what I wanted and didn't want. I've always preferred the versions without salted fish and ham - I like it with mostly conpoy and just a little dried shrimp. The "better" hotels make their versions this way: I think because conpoy is much more expensive than the other dried ingredients and ham.

The flavour of mine was excellent but if I ever make it again, I'd steam the conpoy much longer - it needs to be very soft. I thought it would soften while being cooked with the other ingredients and while aging in the fridge, but it didn't. The shreds of conpoy are very chewy.

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Have you tried nuking the conpoy? That's what I've done when I've used it.

I nuke other things too, like dried mushrooms or ears or whatever. They soften in a very short time.

[hzrt8w]

I found that with dried conpoy: should soak it overnight, and braise it with low heat for about an hour. I think that with steaming, the heat is intense and may toughen the conpoy, especially if the soaking time is short.

[jokhm]

I've had lobogao fried up in XO once or twice and it was very memorable... yum...

Also the occasional fried noodles in XO... or fried cuttlefish..

Its quite an elusive sauce. Comes up so often yet most people haven't a clue what it is -- practically a brand... of some kind of flavour that people are aware of or know nothing about but yet enjoy.

??!