North Carolina's Triangle region excels at many things--basketball, medicine, vinegar-based barbecue--but Asian food? Believe it. In the heart of Chapel Hill, Andrea Reusing (pictured), the chef-owner of Lantern restaurant, makes some of the country's most inspired Asian food using seasonal ingredients from nearby producers. But for certain ingredients, Reusing has to go the extra mile--the extra 1,000 miles, actually.
Each week, the owner of Classic Silver Wok, a Chapel Hill gourmet grocer and one of Reusing's main suppliers, drives to Manhattan's Chinatown to buy Asian ingredients she can't find near home. The products include lychees, mooncakes and the dried scallops that are the cornerstone of Reusing's homemade XO sauce.
This spicy Chinese condiment--which Reusing calls "instant umami"--borrows its name from the XO designation for Cognac (to signify the sauce's exclusivity and high quality) and adds a zingy depth to everything from seafood stir-fries to wok-wilted greens. Think of it as a more complex, less shelf-stable version of Sriracha. Though Reusing spends hours frying up her weekly batch of XO, any armchair cook can quickly produce a stellar version using this recipe. The secret, after all, is in the sauce.
Lantern's XO Sauce
Recipe from Andrea Reusing, Lantern
Makes about 2½ cups
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup finely minced shallots
1 cup finely minced garlic
½ cup finely minced fresh ginger
1 cup finely minced ham
1 tablespoon fermented black beans, finely minced
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground toasted ancho chile pepper
2 quarter-size dried scallops, finely ground in a spice mill
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, finely ground in a spice mill
¼ cup brandy
¼ cup Shaoxing rice wine
3 tablespoons Sriracha, or more to taste
Heat the oil in a small wok or cast-iron skillet over low heat. Add the shallots and garlic and gently cook, stirring, until the shallots and garlic are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger, ham, black beans, sugar and ancho chile. Cook, stirring, until the whole mixture is very fragrant and deep brown, about 10 to 20 minutes. Add the dried scallops, dried shrimp, brandy and Shaoxing. Simmer the mixture for about 3 minutes, until very thick. Stir in the Sriracha. Remove the sauce from the heat and let cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Add to Your To-Do List
