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Homemade XO Sauce … from tinytearoom.com

Found this post at http://tinytearoom.com/homemade-xo-sauce/  ….reproduced here.

 

XO sauce recipe

My enthusiasm for cooking didn�t sprout until I was in my mid-twenties despite helping my mother in the kitchen since I was kid. I always got stuck with doing all the crappy�jobs�like washing the vegetables or peeling the prawns. I also come from a family of 6 stubborn daughters. Family meal times were always a brewing teapot of turmoil.

Cooking had always presented itself as a nuisance much like cleaning the dishes. It wasn�t until a chance 3 month backpacking trip through South East Asia that ignited a passion about food. It was mostly the street cart vendors that caught my attention. I loved watching them prepare my order. Throwing together a rainbow of ingredients and smashing them up or searing them in a flaming wok. It was very theatrical and dramatic and it all seemed easy.

best XO sauce recipe

I found my inner foodie during this trip and it seemed only natural that I became curious about the ingredients and the magic that could be created when it all came together at the right temperature. My first experiments were utter failures but I kept trying. I bought some cookbooks, asked my mother for advice and made sure I followed recipes word-for-word.

It no longer seemed like such a drag to cook. It became a hobby. It made me happy that I was creating something that was solely for my personal enjoyment. When my cooking skills started to improve my palate evolved as well. I stopped putting up with insipid store bought ingredients and started making some things at home.authentic XO sauce This sauce is considered the emperor of all sauces in Hong Kong. Many chefs create their own version and keep the recipe with absolute secrecy. Here is my homemade version that will set your tastebuds on fire.This sauce is nothing like the gooey sauces that you find in the supermarket aisle. It is full of flavour and fire. With just a couple of tablespoons it can transform your stir-fry vegetables from bland to WHAM! You can add some to your fried rice for something different or dip your dumplings into it for a special kick. You can even dollop a bit onto some fried eggs. It is also a fraction of the cost of the store bought variety that can vary in quality. 
 

Homemade XO Sauce
2 cups vegetable oil
1 onion, diced finely
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons shredded dried scallops
85g medium-sized dried shrimp
100g salted pork, diced finely
40 dried chillies
2 fresh long red chillies, deseeded and chopped finely
� teaspoon salt

Heat a wok over high heat, add � cup of the oil and carefully coat the wok with the oil. When a little bit of white smoke appears, add the onion and garlic and stir gently until the garlic becomes golden in colour. Add the remaining oil, scallops, shrimp, pork, dried chilli, fresh chilli and salt. Gently stir and bring to the boil. Lower the temperature to medium and cook for approx 10 minutes � make sure the mixture is constantly bubbling but is not burning. Take the mixture off the heat and transfer the contents to a glass bowl to cool to room temperature. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. Allow the mixture to come to room temperature and place in the food processor and whiz for 10 seconds. The ingredients should just be roughly chopped and not be fine. The sauce is now ready be used.

The sauce will keep for up to 3 months and the flavours will develop over time

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Homemade XO Sauce….from Chubbyhubby.net

Pantry Basics: Homemade XO Sauce

Found this post at http://chubbyhubby.net/recipes/pantry-basics-homemade-xo-sauce/

Homemade XO sauce

I�d never really thought about making XO sauce�a deliciously spicy and umami condiment that first gained popularity in Hong Kong in the Eighties�in the past because the process seemed mysteriously complex. Generally consisting of dried scallops and shrimp paired with chillies, and a blend of shallots and garlic, the recipe for most signature XO sauces served at famous Chinese restaurants are closely guarded.�CH and I love the XO sauce from�The Peninsula Hong Kong�(Spring Moon, the Chinese restaurant at The Pen is often credited with creating the very first XO sauce), as well as Chef Yong Bing Ngen�s elegant version at�The New Majestic. And while we�ve never bought XO sauce for ourselves, we�ve always hoarded the ones we received as gifts. Even when served sparingly, it elevates the simplest dishes to something exceptional.

It was only when I read my sister-in-law J�s generously precise�recipe for her irresistible homemade XO sauce�(she had served the pasta dish pictured as part of a lavish birthday spread for me) that I was inspired to make my own. Since reading her post, I�ve carried her recipe in my Blackberry in the hope of finding an opportune moment to gather the requisite ingredients. Well, I finally attempted J�s recipe for XO sauce a few weeks back because I wanted to present the many new friends we were planning to meet in Japan with something homemade. While it was time-consuming to prepare, making the XO sauce wasn�t too difficult. It goes without saying that we love the fact that J uses bacon in place of traditional Jinhua ham in her XO sauce. She also calls for a fair bit more sugar than most other recipes I�ve seen. The resulting XO sauce deftly balances the intense sea-saltiness that we�prize�in our dried seafood with gentle heat and a nice hit of sweetness that rounds out its umami flavour. To enjoy the XO sauce with�gyoza, we heated it with a little soy sauce and fiery�nama shichimi�(???) just before we served it. Some chilli oil with soy sauce or salt would also do the trick. A generous portion of the XO sauce tossed into fried rice towards the final stages of frying also perked up the already delicious dish quite dramatically.

Homemade XO sauce

We�ve noticed that at really good Chinese restaurants, they fry their XO sauce just before serving it, giving it a nice veneer of crispness. We�ve taken to doing the same. And J�s XO sauce works wonderfully well when treated as an exceptional base that can be finely calibrated with a smidgen of extra spice or a tiny dash of savouriness depending on what we�d like to serve it with. Her XO sauce recipe is a real keeper. It�s a family secret I thought I ought to share.

 

XO Sauce
From�Kuidaore.

Makes 5 cups

225g dried scallops
200g dried shrimp
200g shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped
10 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
150g fresh red chillies, de-seeded and coarsely chopped
400ml peanut oil
100g dark brown muscovado sugar
100g streaky bacon, finely minced

Soak the dried scallops in 2/3 cup of tepid water in a heat proof dish for 1 hour�almost all the water will be absorbed, and the dried scallops should be sufficiently softened such that they break apart when gently pressed. Steam until tender, which will take 30-90 minutes (depending on the size of the scallops. My broken pieces took 90 minutes). Remove dish from heat and let cool, reserving the juices. Finely shred the scallops. Set aside.

Rinse the dried shrimp under tepid tap water. Drain. Pat dry. Grind into a fine floss using a food processor (or use a mixie if you have one). Scrape out and set aside in a separate bowl.

Using the pulse function, grind the shallots until finely minced. Scrape out and set aside in a separate bowl.

Using the pulse function, grind the garlic and chillies together until finely minced. Scrape out and set aside in a separate bowl.

Heat the oil in a large heavy pan (I used a cast iron one) over medium high heat. Fry the shallots, dried shrimp and sugar until the sugar begins to caramelize, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and chilli mixture, bacon, dried scallops and their reserved steaming juices. Turn heat down to medium. Continue to fry for about 30 minutes, stirring constantly. The finished condiment should be highly aromatic and a deep russet hue.

Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

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XO Sauce… from Saveur

XO SauceENLARGE IMAGECredit: Michael Kraus

 

 

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP


1 1/4 oz. dried scallops
1/2 oz. dried octopus
1/4 oz. dried shrimp
1/8 oz. dried mackerel
5 cloves garlic cloves
1 stalk lemongrass, stemmed, tough outer leaves discarded, inner core chopped
1 shallot
3 tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
1 1/2 tbsp. dark brown sugar or palm sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. fermented bean paste (dou ban jiang)
1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup dark Asian sesame oil

Combine dried seafood in a medium bowl and cover with warm water; let soak until soft, about 1 hour. Drain seafood and transfer to a food processor along with the garlic, lemongrass, and shallot. Process into a coarse paste. Add wine, sugar, bean paste, and soy sauce and pulse to combine.

Heat peanut oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add seafood mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring, until evaporated, about 5 minutes more. Stir in sesame oil and transfer mixture to a clean jar; let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 month.

 

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Saveur-100-2011-XO-Sauce

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XO Sauce Momofuku style

From http://privatekitchenjourney.blogspot.com/2010/10/momofuku-style-xo-sauce-versatile-on.html

Momofuku style XO Sauce – versatile on anything:)

A couple of months back, bought a copy of Momofuku recipe book by the famous Korean American chef David Chang and co written by peter meehan.  Lots of the recipes are pretty interesting and not over complicating.  One that I have longed to try for a very long time is the XO Sauce.  However, living in Wagga Wagga, a couple of the ingredients was not easily available (they do sell XO sauce in a bottle but that does not help really lol) especially dried scallops and dried shrimp.  Hence, on my recent trip home and to Sydney, I made sure I got those 2 ingredients.  

For those unfamiliar with XO sauce, its a very concentrated sauce pack with lots of flavouful ingredients such as dried shrimp, dried scallops, ginger, garlic and some commercial brands out there do also sell Salmon XO sauce which I have not tried.  It is very versatile on anything, a tablespoon on stir frys, fried rice, seafood etc makes a world of difference.  It can be stored in a container and kept in the fridge for over a month.

Anyways, recipe as per below, do give it a try:)

(Adapted from MOMOFUKU recipe book by David Chang and Peter Meehan – modified slightly)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried scallops (Can be bought at asian dried seafood stored.  It is rather pricey hence use them sparingly)
1/2 dried shrimp (Can be bought at asian grocery stores)
1/2 cup peeled garlic
1/2 cup peeled ginger, sliced
1 cup chopped country ham or chinese sausages (you can substititute with other ham type which I did if you can’t find country ham)
1/2 cup grapeseed oil or other neutral oil
1 tablespoon crushed dried red chille

Method:
1) Place scallops and shrimp in a bowl, rinse them and soak them in water overnight covered.
2) Place garlic and ginger in a food processor, pulse on and off until finely chopped, place in a bowl.
3) Discard water from the soaked dried shrimp and scallops and place in food processor, again pulse on a off until it is finely chopped, placed in bowl.
4) Placed ham in food processor and mince till fine, placed in a separate bowl.
5) Heat oil on medium high heat in wok for 1 minute
6) Add ham into oil and fry till browned and crisp (around 5-10 mins)
7) Add dried chille and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
8) Turn heat down to very low and add rest of the ingredients.  Let it simmer for about 45-55 minutes.  Stir it a couple of times in between to ensure that ingredients does not stick on the base.  It is ready when the garlic and ginger is dirty blonde in colour.  Can be used immediately once ready or stored in a container and refrigerated for a month or more.
(p.s.  After finishing this, the wok will have flavourful remains of the XO sauce.  It would be such a waste to just wash them off, hence look out for next blog write up on Wok “remains”of XO sauce stewed chicken!)

Enjoy!

Posted by Private Kitchen Journey at 2:24 PM

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Roasted Pepper Crab

found this on RASA Malaysia

Crustacean-inspired Garlic Noodles Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh noodles
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic (pounded)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
2 1/2 teaspoons oyster sauce
5 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

Method:

Rince the noodles with cold water and set aside. Heat up a pot of water and let it boil. Boil the noodles in the hot water until they are done, drain the water, and set aside to cool down the noodles.

In a pan, saute the garlic with the olive oil in medium heat. The purpose is to infuse the olive oil with garlicky flavor. Discard the garlic and then add in 4 tablespoons of butter and turn the heat to low. Add in the chicken bouillon powder, garlic powder, oyster sauce and blend well. Set aside to let it cool.

Once the garlic mixture is cool and the noodles are cool at room temperature, pour the garlic mixture over the noodles and toss them together to blend well. Add in the grated parmesan cheese, toss well, and serve immediately.

Crustacean-inspired Roasted Crab Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Dungeness Crab (about 2 lbs)
1 stick unsalted butter/8 tablespoons
3-4 cloves garlic (chopped coarsely)
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
2 teaspoons black pepper (cracked using a mortar and pestle)
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Method:

Clean and chop the crab into small pieces. Heat up the butter in a wok (between medium to low heat) and saute the garlic until aromatic, but not brown. Add in the black peppers, chicken bouillon powder, and then add in the crab and stir well. Add in the sugar and cook the crab until half done.

Dish out and bake it in the oven at 350 degree F for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot with garlic noodles.

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Garlic Noodles

Garlic Noodles Rec

Found  this on Rasa Malaysiawebsite.

IngredientIs:

20 oz yellow noodles
1 heaping tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Water, for boiling the noodles

Garlic Sauce:

1 stick unsalted butter (same as 4 oz/110 g/1/2 cup/8 tablespoons)
2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic, or more to taste
1 tablespoon Maggi seasoning sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

Method:

Rinse the yellow noodles with running water to discard the oil from the noodles. Drain and set aside.

Heat up a pot of water until boiling. Add the noodles into the boiling water and cook the noodles. Do not overcook as the noodles will turn soggy. Transfer the noodles out and drain dry.

Prepare the garlic sauce using a saute pan on medium to low heat. Add the butter into the pan and when it melts, add the garlic and saute until aromatic but not browned. Add all the seasonings into the pan, stir to combine well. Transfer the garlic sauce into a small bowl.

To serve, just toss all the noodles with the garlic sauce. Add the cheese, toss to combine well. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Note:

For individual serving of the garlic noodles, take some noodles to a bowl and add some garlic sauce to taste. Drizzle some grated Parmesan cheese, stir to combine well before serving.

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Pipi Kaula

Pipi Kaula

25 pounds chuck steaks or other inexpensive beef cut
Quart shoyu
1 cup Hawaiian chili peppers (or to taste)
5 inches fresh ginger root
4 medium bulbs garlic
2 cups orange marmalade

Cut the pipi into strips, about an inch thick and as long as your smoker can handle. Mince all of the spices. Add them and the marmalade to the shoyu. Soak the meat at least overnight (I usually go about a week), turning it twice daily. You can also put the pipi and the sauce into containers and freeze until you are ready to smoke it.

Following the instructons in your smoker, dry and smoke the pipi kaula until it is as dry as you like. Store frozen.

This is good cut into small strips or minced for fried rice, omlets, to sprinkle over potatoes, or any other way you would use bacon or dry smoked meat.

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Chili Pepper Water

Hawaiian Chili pepper Water

2 cups water
2 cups vinegar
Hawaiian or sea salt
1 cup chili peppers

Clean the peppers. Mince about half of them very fine. Add a pinch of salt to the minced peppers and mash them with the salt. Put in a heat proof container, like a Pyrex jar. Add the whole peppers. Pour the vinegar and water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Pour over peppers. Bottle and let cool.

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Beef Jerky

Beef Jerky

A jerky is a meat where in they trimmed off the fat and cut it into thin strips. It is one of the first preserved products that man made. They normally use spices that range from hot and spicy to sweet and salty, it really varies from which country the beef jerky came from. Since the meat is dried, the flavor is concentrated making it very beefy and tasty adding to the taste of the mix spices, making this snack special. To dry the meat and make it into beef jerky we dry it under the sun for several hours or days, but in some cases where there is no sunlight available we use the oven to dry the meat for beef jerky. Sun dried beef jerky can be very expensive but you can make these recipes at home.

Home made jerky recipe is still the best kind of jerky because you can make sure that it has no artificial preservatives and additives that are really harmful for you and your family. Jerky came from the word charqui which means to burn meat. Here are some recipes of beef jerky that has been extracted from all over the world.

Biltong African Beef Jerky Recipe

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Prepare Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 Hours

This is a simple way of making a spicy beef jerky from Africa. They also make it from different kinds of meat.

Ingredients:
2 pound of beef strips
2 pounds of salt
4 ounces of sugar
2 ounces of pepper
4 ounces of chili spices

Instructions:
1. Mix the salt, sugar, pepper and chili spices.
2. Rinse the beef and towel dry.
3. Rub the salt mixture into the beef making sure that all sides are coated.
4. Dry under the sun for 24 hours or dry in an oven at 160 degrees F for 7 hours checking constantly.
5. Storage: Place it in a zip lock air tight bag and keep it in the freezer. It can last for 1 month.
Biltong African Beef Jerky Recipe

Pipi Kaula Hawaiian Beef Jerky Recipe

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Prepare Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 Hours

If you want to put the “aloha” in your beef jerky then try this classic sweet and Hawaiian inspired beef jerky.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of steak
2 tbsp of himalayan salt
1/2 cups of soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp of sugar
1 thumb sized ginger, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of chili flakes (optional)

Instructions:
1. Cut the beef flank steak into strips which are 1 inch wide.
2. Combine the soy sauce, sea salt, sugar, garlic, ginger chili pepper and mix until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
3 Pour the marinade into the beef flank steak making sure that the marinade coats every piece of meat.
4. Cover and put it in the fridge overnight.
5. Remove the meat from the marinade and hang to dry under the sun for 7 hours or dry it in the oven at 160 degrees F for 7 hours.
6. Storage: keep it in a zip lock bag and put it in the freezer. It can last for 1 month.
Pipi Kaula Hawaiian Beef Jerky Recipe

Chinese Beef Jerky Recipe

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Prepare Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 Hours

Enjoy this Chinese inspired beef jerky recipe that captures Asian flavors combined into a very powerful and sweet marinade.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of steak
4 1/2 tablespoons of honey
1 1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil
4 1/2 tablespoons of dry sherry
1/2 cup of soy sauce
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 pieces of thumb sized ginger, minced
Pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Cut the flank steak into 2 inches thick.
2. Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, honey, dry sherry and pepper in a bowl. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.
3. Marinade the meat for 30 minutes under room temperature.
4. Remove the meat from the marinade and dry it out for 7 hours or place it in a cookie rack and cook it in the oven for 7 hours at 160 degrees F.
5. Storage: Keep it in a zip lock bag and place it in the freezer. It can last for 2 weeks.
Chinese Beef Jerky Recipe

Beef Jerky is one of the best loved meat products there is in the market. The main reason for that is it is easy to make and its long shelf life. It is good as a snack or an appetizer. From the Biltong of Africa that has been a staple snack for centuries, the Hawaiian Pipi Kaula which has a tangy and mild taste to the spicy and sweet combination of the Chinese beef jerky. Taste these recipes of beef jerky from all over the globe and be kicked with their jerky charm.

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Lap Yuk

Homemade Streaky Bacon/Lap Yuk

http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/2010/01/homemade-streaky-baconlap-yuk.html

 

 

 

Historically, Lap means “ritual” in old Chinese, it was very often that surplus meat after the ritual would be cured for use in times of scarcity. These preserved delicacies are called “Lap-mei” in Cantonese and are often mistaken that they are waxed because of their waxy appearance and the word “lap” which also means wax in that dialect. There are three types of “Lap-mei”and they are preserved Chinese sausages, preserved pork, and preserved ducks.

 

In Chinese tradition, they are usually prepared around the time of December of lunar calendar, as one of the delicacies to celebrate the ‘Spring Harvesting Festival’. They are traditional gifts during the festive seasons, especially during the Chinese New Year.

 
It has been found that ‘Lap-mei’ prepared commercially, has nitrite/nitrate and coloring which are not very desirable, therefore this gives me a reason to prepare ‘Lap-mei’ at home – preservative free.

 

I have to thank Claire, my dear friend, who came with the special Rose Wine and Dark Soya Sauce.

 

 

 Ingredients:
5 lhs belly pork
5 ozs sugar
1/4 cup Mui Kwai Lo (Rose Wine)
1/2 cup light soya sauce
1/4 cup thick dark soya sauce
3 tbsp table salt

Marinated.

 

First day of drying

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second day of drying or airing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Method:

 

Cut belly pork into 1 1/2 – 2 inch strips.

 

Rub in sugar and salt into meat and pour in the remaining ingredients to marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Turn meat often to marinade evenly. I kept them in the refrigerator for 3 days.

 

Drill a hole on top of a strip of meat with the sharp point of a boning knife and pass a piece of string through the hole and tie string with a knot.
Hang up to dry in the sun for 1-3 days and move to a windy place to dry for another 2-3 days. I had sun for only a day but managed to get 2 windy days.  Took them in and hang them near the ventilation vent and the heat was good, it dry the meat pretty good.

 

Steam air dried pork(lup yuk) for 8 minutes over high heat. Slice thinly and serve with rice.

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