XO醬可以說是香港的原創醬料，名貴惹味，非常具代表性。它的可塑性非常之高，可配以各類小菜、小食、粥、粉、麵、飯、涼拌，亦可烹調炒煮各樣菜式，而且味道惹味討好，用途廣泛，因此深受歡迎，絕對是廚房必備的醬料之一。
今次我在XO醬內加入了甘香鮮美的金蠔，令這款傳統的醬料多添一份美味的創意！
| 金蠔850克 瑤柱350克 火腿300克 蝦米250克 乾葱350克（洗淨，去皮，切碎） 蒜頭200克（洗淨，去皮，切片） 蝦子50克 辣椒150克（洗淨，切圈） 油1.8公升 蠔油100克 砂糖30克 |
1 用水浸軟金蠔，洗淨，蒸15分鐘，切小粒。 2 柱洗淨，用水浸軟，蒸30分鐘，撕成絲。 3 腿洗淨，蒸45分鐘，用手撕成細絲。 4 米洗淨，用水浸軟，瀝乾水分，用石臼略為舂碎。 5 中慢火燒熱油，先下乾葱、蒜頭及辣椒炒約20-30分鐘至金黃，下蝦米及瑤柱炒約10分鐘，再下金蠔及火腿炒20分鐘，至水
分蒸發及油起泡，加入蝦子、蠔油及砂糖再炒5分鐘即成。 6 熱將XO醬裝入經消毒處理的容器，加蓋，封緊即成。 1 材料中的金蠔、瑤柱及火腿必須先蒸熟後才用來製作XO醬，這樣炒出來的XO醬便更加耐存。 2 般製作XO醬的蝦米都是用整隻的，除了是可吃到蝦米的口感外，在賣相上見到原隻蝦米，感覺上真材實料一
些。但今次我將蝦米略為舂碎來做XO醬，目的是讓蝦米的味道更能與其他材料融合，更可令「醬」的質感更實在一些，吃起來另有一番風味。同樣地，將火腿用手撕成細絲代替用刀切碎，道理也是一樣。所以，想食到最佳的XO醬效果，當然要花點時間和耐性喔。 3 定要全程用小火慢炒XO醬，這樣材料的水分才有足夠時間慢慢釋出，完成後材料仍然保持鬆軟的口感之外，因
為水分少，保存的時間亦可較長一些。 4 材料的先後次序都是有目的及其作用的，先下的材料都是水分較多的，其一是讓材料內的水分有足夠時間釋出，其二是令後下的材料不需炒煮太長時間，而令材料太乾而變得硬身。 Ingredients 850g semi-dried oysters 350g dried scallops
300g Jinhua ham 250g dried shrimps 350g shallots (rinsed, peeled and chopped) 200g garlic (rinsed, peeled and sliced) 50g shrimp ro 150g chilli (rinsed, cut into rings) 1.8 litres of oil 100g oyster sauc 30g sugar Method 1 Soak semi-dried
oysters in water until soft．Rinse and steam for 15 minutes．Finely chop them. 2 Rinse and soak the dried scallops in water until soft．Steam for 30 minutes．Break them into shreds. 3 Rinse the ham and steam for 45 minutes．Shred fnely with your fngers. 4 Rinse the dried shrimps and soak in water
until soft．Drain．Crush coarsely with mortar and pestle. 5 Heat oil in a wok over low heat．Stir fry shallot, garlic and chilli over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes until golden．Add dried shrimps and dried scallops．Stir for 10 minutes．Put in the oysters and ham．Stir for 20 more minutes until the mixture dries up and the oil turns
bubbly．Add shrimp roe, oyster sauce and sugar．Stir for 5 more minutes. 6 Transfer the XO sauce into a sterilized sealable container when it's hot．Cover the lid and seal well. Tips 1 Semi-dried oysters, dried scallops and ham must be steamed until done before used．The XO sauce will last
much longer that way. 2 In most XO sauces, the dried shrimps are put in whole．On the up side, you get the mouthfeel of the dried shrimps and get to see them whole．Yet, in this recipe, I crush them so that they blend in with the favours of other ingredients better．The sauce also feels fner and more favourful．Similarly, tear the ham apart with your
fngers instead of chopping it for better texture and favour．To make the best XO sauce, you must put in time and patience. 3 When you fry the XO sauce, always put it over low heat．You can lengthen the cooking process that way so as to allow time for the moisture to evaporate slowly．The XO sauce will end up more tender in texture and
last a lot longer because of the lack of moisture. 4 Make sure you follow the order in which ingredients go in the wok．The moister an ingredient is, the earlier it goes in to allow time for water to evaporate．Those ingredients that go in later don't take long to cook and they may become too dry and chewy if cooked for too long.