Chinese XO Sauce — Components and Use (XO酱)
Hong Kong — 1980s innovation by Peninsula Hotel and other luxury establishments
XO sauce was invented in Hong Kong in the 1980s — a luxury condiment named after XO cognac to signal premium quality. The base is dried seafood: dried scallops (gan bei), dried shrimp (xia mi), dried fish, all rehydrated and fried with Jinhua ham, shallots, garlic, and dried chillies in oil. The result is intensely savoury, slightly sweet, smoky, and complex — a tablespoon transforms any dish.