The Luxurious Umami Bomb that is (Homemade) XO Sauce + How to Use it

We are coming to the end of he 2025 Alphabet Challenge, our second year of working our way through the alphabet with recipes. Only two more letters to go! We post every other week for the entire alphabet and this is year two. Thanks for starting this series, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm.

X is for...

• Air Fryer Xangos (Mexican Cheesecake Chimichangas) by Blogghetti

• Homemade XO Sauce by Food Lust People Love

• Pai Huang Gua Hé Xigua by Mayuri’s Jikoni

• Rotisserie Chicken Xavier Soup with Dill & Peas by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

• The Luxurious Umami Bomb that is (Homemade) XO Sauce + How to Use it by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Vietnamese Sesame Shrimp Noodles (Mi Xao Tom) by Palatable Pastime

• Xacuti Chicken Mince Stuffed Bell Peppers#AlphabetChallenge by Sneha’s Recipe

• Xanthia Cocktail by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Xavier Soup by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

• Xiao Mi Zhou (Millet porridge/congee) by A Messy Kitchen

• Xocolati- Mexican Hot Chocolate by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

A Magical Condiment

Have you heard of XO sauce? Have to ever had it? The answer to both, for me, was yes. But I have never made it. So, I decided to try to make my own for the alphabet challenge. There aren't many foods that start with the letter 'x' though, so you might see other variations. I also wanted to share some of the history.

Given the age of China and its culinary history, XO sauce is a new addition to the cuisine. This first appeared in the 1980s, created in Hong Kong with an array of expensive items; so, it is certainly a luxury condiment that includes dried shrimp, dried scallops, and aged ham. Its name comes from the French Cognac XO but there is no cognac in the recipe. There is, however, Shaoxing wine added to this umami bomb that is simultaneously savory, spice, and sweet with a je ne sais quoi that makes it even more alluring and magical.

Though I did track down dried scallops and picked up some Shaoxing wine, my process was a combination of different recipes and I did quite a bit of substitution as I couldn't source Jinhua ham and didn't have any oyster sauce. Also, when I ordered the dried scallops, I didn't realize I was only going to get 6; so I added in shiitake mushrooms for more umami. And I used some Bird's Eye Chiles from a local farm.

Funny story, when I was soaking my six dried scallops on the counter, my older son noticed the bowl. He shook his head and said, "Mom, it makes me nervous when you have witchy looking things in stagnant water for a long time." Ummm...I just started soaking them. It hasn't been a long time!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried shrimp

• 1/2 cup dried scallops and dried shiitake mushrooms (if I had all dried scallops, I would have used that!)

• 10 to 12 garlic cloves

• one 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and diced

• 3 fresh Bird's Eye chiles (mine were frozen after a trip to the farm a few weeks ago)

• 1/2 cup neutral oil

• 1/2 cup prosciutto (I used a combination of pork and duck prosciutto)

• 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

• 2 Tablespoons chile-garlic sauce

• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Procedure

Place dried shrimp, dried scallops, and dried shiitakes in separate bowls. Cover with at least 2 inches of boiling water. Set aside to soak for a minimum of an hour. Drain everything and place it all in the bowl of a food processor with garlic, ginger, and Bird's Eye chiles. Pulse until just coarsely chopped.

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add prosciutto and cook, stirring frequently with wooden spoon, until ham is crisp, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze with Shaoxing wine, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the pot.

Add the scallop mixture to pot and continue to cook, stirring frequently until everything is golden and aromatic, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Let bubble until the mixture is thickened and most of the liquid has been absorbed into the sauce, leaving a thin layer of bubbling oil on the surface of the pot, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Once the XO sauce has cooled, divide into jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

How to Use it

You are really only limited by your own imagination as to how you use XO sauce. It goes well with eggs, with noodles, and with mushrooms. So, I decided to combine it with all of those in a noodle bowl topped with roasted mushrooms, tofu, and a poached egg.

This Time Last Year...

My posts are below with links to everyone else's recipes. I skipped letter 'F' apparently and also 'W'. Enjoy!

• A Reclaimed Æbleskiver Pan + Æbleskiver Bread Pudding

• Börek with a California Twist

• Crab-Stuffed Ravioli

• Dark Chocolate-Juniper Panna Cotta

• Elderflower & Roasted Strawberry Layer Cake

• Aïgo Bouido (Provençal Garlic Soup)

• Halva with Fiori di Sicilia

• I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Saffron-Cardamom Ice Cream

• Bulgogi-Inspired Oven Beef Jerky

• Purple Napa Kimchi

• Lingcod Over Legumes

• Mushrooms in My Cookies? Yep. Candy Cap Cookies.

• Nocino, Italian Green Walnut Liqueur

• How to Shuck Oysters and a Few Serving Ideas

• A Parade of Pickles, Including Pickled Chard Stems

• Quesabirria Tacos

• Rose Petal-Strawberry Granita

• Buttermilk Shortcakes with Macerated Berries

• Toasted Croutons

• Curry Udon with Prawns

• Teriyaki Sauce-Swabbed Venison Burgers on Seeded Sourdough Buns

• Xoconostle Tartlets

So Far This Year...

Again: my posts are below with links to everyone else's recipes.

• The Polarizing Anchovy + Egg Salad Niçoise

• A Belated Birthday Bûche De Noël (Yule Log)

• Lemon Lavender Blackberry Cake

• Gluten-Free Crystal Dumplings in Noodle Soup

• A Dozen Eggs - Stuffed, Scotch, Curried, and More

• Fig Leaf-Wrapped Cheese

• Garlicky Fregola with Edamame, Mint, and Ricotta

• Huckleberry & Earl Grey Tea Cakes

• Es Teler (Indonesian Drunk Ice)

• Inspired by a One-Word Text: Jjamppong

• A Fruit Formerly Known as ‘Kaffir’ + Makrut-Kissed Cookies

• Enamored with Culinary Lavender: From Sips to Sweets

• Mini Peach Galettes

• White Nectarine-Lime Jam

• Octopus: Takoyaki, a Japanese Snack Food, from a Santa Cruz Apartment

• Brunede Kartofler (Danish Caramel Potatoes)

• Quince Sharlotka

• I missed 'R' but you can see everyone's post in Wendy's R is for Rustic Rye Sourdough Loaf

• Semifreddo al Miele

• Bitter Orange and Blackberry Thumbprint Cookies

• Sea Urchin Crostini (and How to Clean Urchins)

• Summer Rolls and Nước Chấm, a Ubiquitous Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

• Frisky Whiskey Chocolate Cake

That's a wrap for my offering for the letter 'x'. We will be back in two weeks with the letter 'y' and, then, it will only be one more letter. Stay tuned!