Method

Briefly wash dried scallops and dried shrimps. Cover dried shrimps with water and soak until soft, 15 to 30 minutes, discard water and coarsely chopped. Also cover dried scallops with of water (about half to 1 cup) until just soften, about 1 hours, reserve water.

Add a dash of wine and a few slices of ginger to the dried scallop. In another dish, season sliced ham with 1/4 tea spoon of sugar and a dash of wine, also put in couple slices of ginger. Steam shredded scallops and sliced ham in a steamer over low heat for about half an hour. Remove Ginger. Discard any liquid from ham but save those from scallops. Let cool, coarsely chopped ham and tear scallops into shreds (pat dry if still moist).

Heat about 2 to 3 table spoon oil in a saucepan on medium. Stir-fry dried scallops until lightly brown an crisp. Add shallot, garlic, remaining oil and sauté until fragrant. Stir in dried shrimps, ham, and chilies, stirring again until aromatic. Regulate heat to low to avoid scotching, if required. I managed to cook the ingredients here in my saucepan. For a larger quantity, probably you may need a skillet or wok to stir well.

Pour in about half cup of water saved from soaking dried scallops, and simmer until water is absorbed. Add salt to taste. Let cool, transfer to a sterilized bottle, cover and store in fridge for 1 to 2 days before serving.

Top the chilled tofu with a table spoon of XO sauce plus some green onion, then finish it with a dash of soy sauce and sesame oil. There you go a simple, different appetizer.

For many Jewish families, Christmas means enjoying each other’s company over Chinese food and movies (among the only businesses open in otherwise eerily abandoned ghost towns on Christmas Eve and Day). At his nationally recognized West Newton bistro Lumière(accolades from Bon Appétit, Food & Wine and Saveur), Michael Leviton is recreating this long-standing Jewish Christmas tradition featuring interpretations of Chinese food using local, sustainable ingredients and classic French techniques on Christmas Eve.

Leviton’s homemade XO sauce, a salty-savory-sweet Chinese condiment made from caramelized dried seafood and sausage, is a great match for pork belly, scallops and a range of other Chinese dishes. You’ll notice that the XO sauce calls for house-dried seafood, but the home chef can buy this all at a well-stocked Asian market or by hunting around online Asian food sites.

1. Cover the dried seafood with boiling water and rehydrate overnight in the refrigerator.
2. The next day, drain the water from the seafood. Render the fresh sausage carefully, going for a deep golden brown without burning. Pour off the fat except for 1/2 cup.
3. Meanwhile, purée the seafood in a food processor until finely chopped. Reserve. Once the sausage has caramelized, add the red pepper and cook 30 seconds, then add remaining ingredients including the reserved 1/2 cup sausage fat (but not the sesame oil) and cook very slowly, stirring frequently. The idea is to lightly caramelize the entire mixture slowly over 20-45 minutes.
4. Once desired coloration has been achieved, add sesame oil. Combine well and adjust seasoning.

Try out these Chinese dish recipes on Food Republic:

• Chinese Chive And Pressed Tofu Turnover Recipe
• Sweet And Sour Chinese Cabbage Recipe
• How To Make Chinese Orange Anything