Sauces are an integral part of many cuisines, with some sauces reaching legendary status. In Argentina, chimichurri is a classic pairing for any steak served hot from the parilla.
Meanwhile, Italy’s pomodoro sauce highlights the best of summer.
XO sauce is also another one of the mainstays in Cantonese cuisine. Developed in the 1980s in Hong Kong, the sauce was named after XO cognacs, the oldest and most expensive category for the spirit, due to its use of pricey ingredients. It is made of shredded dried scallops and shrimps which have been reconstituted and fried together with aromatics and spices to form a flavorful sauce that can be used as for dipping or as an ingredient for other dishes.
Marco Polo Ortigas’ vaunted Lung Hin pays tribute to this modern classic with the addition of limited-time dishes that feature XO sauce as its main ingredient. These items will be available until December 9 while the bottled sauce made in-house can be ordered year-round. Chinese Executive Chef Raymond Yeung also demonstrated how the sauce is made as he expertly combines the different ingredients. Chef Raymond shared that XO sauce needs several days after cooking for it to age and get the flavors to meld and intensify.
For those who want to enjoy the purest flavor of XO sauce, the Pan Fried Rice Roll with Soya and XO Sauce is the perfect appetizer. Here, rolled thin sheets of rice dough are seared and flavored with a seasoned soy sauce and a generous amount of XO sauce.
Another dish that plays to the sauce’s seafood roots is the Steamed Scallop and Seafood Dumpling with XO Sauce. In this dish, the XO sauce serves as a topping, accentuating the flavors in the dumpling’s filling.
The Braised Live Shrimp with Rice Vermicelli and XO sauce is a rich and hearty dish, with the rice noodles absorbing the sauce for a flavorful bite. Meanwhile, the Wok-fried Water Bamboo, Asparagus Lettuce, and Pork with XO sauce is an example of the sauce’s versatility as it pairs well with both vegetables and pork, not just seafood dishes.
Despite being a relatively young development in Chinese cuisine, XO sauce has managed to carve a name for itself and is now a standard in Cantonese dishes. Lung Hin’s new additions celebrate the sauce’s distinct aroma and flavor that gets diners hooked from the first bite.
