Showing posts sorted by date for query strawberry. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query strawberry. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Homemade XO Sauce

Rich, decadent and luscious, homemade XO sauce with dried scallops, dried shrimp and dried ham isn’t cheap to make but it sure is delicious. Well worth the cost and time!

Food Lust People Love: Rich, decadent and luscious, homemade XO sauce with dried scallops, dried shrimp and dried ham isn’t cheap to make but it sure is delicious. Well worth the cost and time!

XO sauce was reportedly created in Hong Kong back in the 1980s in Spring Moon, an upscale restaurant in the five-star luxury hotel, The Peninsula Hong Kong, as a symbol of wealth and decadence. The name XO was taken from the very best extra old cognac, to indicate that the sauce was also of the highest caliber. 

It caught on and became popular over all of Asia, and now the jarred condiment is available on store shelves worldwide. Sometimes the ingredients aren’t actually extra special and that’s why homemade is often best. They tend to skimp on the scallops.

I totally get that because I couldn’t find dried scallops in a local shop. I considered my options and decided I couldn't skimp so I went one extra step and dried some fresh Channel Island scallops as my first step. Seven ounces yielded only 2 oz when dried. The recipe below assumes you are able to find some!


Homemade XO Sauce

If you would rather your XO sauce not be quite as spicy, you can remove the seeds from the chili peppers. We love spicy so I leave ours in. This makes about 2 1/4 cups or 475g. Start this recipe early in your day. It can take up to five hours to make. 

Ingredients
2 oz or 57g dried scallops
2 oz or 57g dried shrimp
2 oz or 57g Jinhua or Yunnan ham, or prosciutto
6 large garlic cloves
4 large red or golden shallots
6 large red chili peppers
2 cups or 480ml peanut oil
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Method
Soak the scallops and shrimp separately each in 1 cup or 240ml of hot water for at least 1 hour. Drain well, reserving the strained liquid from the scallops.


Peel your shallots and garlic and chop them roughly. Destem the peppers and chop them as well. (See note above ingredient list.) Put all three into your food processor and chop them finely with a few quick zaps


You are looking for finely minced, not puréed. 


Use your clean hands to pull the ham apart into fine shreds.


Shred the drained scallops by pounding them a few at time in a mortar to separate the fibers. 


Roughly grind the drained shrimp in a mortar and pestle as well or cheat like I do by using a food processor. The shrimp are tough to grind and after pounding the scallops, who even has the energy? 


Preheat your oven to 212°F or 100°C. (If your oven won’t go this low, you can continue on the stovetop but you will have to watch the sauce very carefully and keep the fire very low so it doesn’t burn.) 

Heat 1/3 cup or 80ml of the peanut oil in a medium, oven-proof pan or pot over low heat and fry the garlic, shallots and chili peppers for about 10 minutes until they are fragrant and softened. 


Add the shredded scallops, shrimp, ham or prosciutto, salt, sugar, cayenne powder, soy sauce and about a 1/4 cup or 60ml of the soaking liquid from the scallops. 


Bring to a simmer and cook over a low flame until the liquid is evaporated or absorbed, stirring often. Make a space in the middle of the sauce with a spatula or wooden spoon and wait a minute or so to see if liquid fills the hole. (Left photo below,) If it does, stir again and cook a little longer to dry the mixture a little more. (Right photo below.)


Add the remaining oil and stir well.


Put the pot in your low oven and cook uncovered for 3-4 hours until the color of the sauce intensifies and it becomes thick, oily and jammy. Stir the mixture occasionally.

Transfer the XO sauce to clean jars and top with any oil left in the cooking pan. 


Seal and refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce will keep for about 6 months.

Food Lust People Love: Rich, decadent and luscious, homemade XO sauce with dried scallops, dried shrimp and dried ham isn’t cheap to make but it sure is delicious. Well worth the cost and time!

Homemade XO sauce is excellent stirred through steamed rice or egg noodles, as part of a dipping sauce for dumplings or as a topping for stir-fried greens or a fried egg. In fact, it’s good with just about anything savory! 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 24th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter X. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the X recipes below:



Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

X. Homemade XO Sauce – this post! 



Pin this Homemade XO Sauce!

Food Lust People Love: Rich, decadent and luscious, homemade XO sauce with dried scallops, dried shrimp and dried ham isn’t cheap to make but it sure is delicious. Well worth the cost and time!

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Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero

These Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero feature a strong cheese sauce made with hard cider, two mature cheeses, English mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce.

Food Lust People Love: These Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero feature a strong cheese sauce made with hard cider, two mature cheeses, English mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce.

There’s a little café in town where we like to go for breakfast. It’s right next to the central market and close to the fish market so we park, enjoy a delightful breakfast and then get our shopping done. My perfect outing. 

One of my favorite dishes at Rosie's Café is their Welsh rarebit, a lovely slice of toast heaped with a bitey cheese sauce then popped under the broiler/grill until it bubbles and turns golden. It is most delightful, rich and filling. 

I make a similar sauce for cauliflower cheese but never thought to top potatoes with it until I saw a recipe in delicious. magazine. This is my rendition of that recipe, with the addition of the greens.

Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero

I use the very handy real bacon crumbles I buy in Costco for this dish but it’s never crispy enough, hence the extra frying step. If your bacon is already cooked extra crispy, you can skip that. Cavolo Nero is also known as Tuscan kale. You can use regular kale if it’s not available. 

Ingredients
7 oz or 200g cavolo nero/Tuscan kale
2 green onions, green part only
1/3 cup or 40g cooked bacon, crumbled
1 lb or 450g Jersey royals or other new potatoes, halved if large
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups or 295-359ml dry cider (I use Strongbow Original)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons plain flour
Splash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon English mustard powder (I use Colman's)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 1/2 oz or 100g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
3 1/2 oz or 100g Gruyere or Comté, coarsely grated

Method
Wash the cavolo nero well then remove the hard stalks.  (You can discard/compost these or save them for making vegetable stock later.) 


Cut the leaves roughly. 


 I forgot to wash first so I soaked, rinsed and spinned three times after chopping. It is easier to wash the whole leaves so do as I say, not as I did! 


Chop the green onions finely and set aside a small amount for garnish. 

Use a pot that will fit your potatoes nicely in a single layer, then pour in enough cider to just cover them and the 1/4 teaspoon salt. 


Bring to the boil, covered with a lid, then simmer for 15-18 minutes until tender to the point of a knife. 

Drain off the cider into a heatproof vessel. You should have about 1 cup or 240ml (if not, make up the difference with water or extra cider.)


While the potatoes are simmering, fry your bacon bits in a skillet till they are extra crispy. Add in the cavolo nero leaves and cook until they are wilted and any liquid they produce has evaporated. These are sturdy greens that take a while to cook. I put a lid on at the beginning, then remove the lid so the liquid can evaporate.


Remove the bacon and cavolo nero to a bowl, leaving behind any bacon fat. 

Add the butter to the bacon pan over a medium heat, then add the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring to create a light roux. 


Gradually stir or whisk in the reserved cider to make a smooth sauce.


Mix in the Worcestershire sauce, mustard and cayenne pepper, then simmer for a few minutes. 


Add the cheeses and mix until fully melted. 


Sprinkle in the bigger pile of chopped green onions. 


Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. 

Put the potatoes in a baking dish or casserole then add in the cavolo nero with bacon. Use a spoon to tuck the greens around the potatoes to create a single layer. 


Spoon the cheese sauce over the potatoes and cavolo nero and sprinkle on the reserved chopped green onions.


Bake in the preheated oven until hot and bubbling, about 20 minutes, finishing it off with about five minutes under the broiler/grill to brown. 

Serve bubbling hot! This delicious dish is rich enough to be served as a main. 

These Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero feature a strong cheese sauce made with hard cider, two mature cheeses, English mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce.

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 23th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter W. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the W recipes below:



Pin these Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero!

These Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero feature a strong cheese sauce made with hard cider, two mature cheeses, English mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce.

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Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Mirabelle Plum Vodka

Deliciously fruity, tart but not too sweet, this Mirabelle plum vodka is great in cocktails, served over ice with soda water or simply sipped straight.

Food Lust People Love: Deliciously fruity, tart but not too sweet, this Mirabelle plum vodka is great in cocktails, served over ice with soda water or simply sipped straight.

Recently I was lamenting the lost fig trees of my childhood - oh, how I loved my grandmothers’ trees and their sweet summer fruit! – and the very next day, providence shined upon me, bringing me not figs, but free Mirabelle plums.

I had fixed some snacky food and packed a bottle of cold water in a small cooler so that my husband and I could explore this beautiful island we are blessed to have a home in. We had in mind a public picnic area on the east coast we had spotted last summer.

As we parked the car then gathered out belongings, I noticed that the ground was covered in little round jewels of varying hues from yellow to orange and red. I glanced up and there was a Mirabelle plum tree, covered in extra vines but full of fruit, much of it still green.

I filled a small bag with the bounty, practically giggling with glee. Who doesn’t love some free fruit?

With the first pound of plums, I made a delightful small batch of jam, just two jars. With the balance, I decided to make flavored vodka. 

Mirabelle Plum Vodka

If you don’t have little Mirabelles, you can use another variety of plums but I would recommend cutting them in half or quarters to infuse. I covered the plums plus a little extra with just over a cup of vodka. Depending on the jar you use, you may need a little more or even a little less. 

Ingredients
7 oz or 200g Mirabelle plums
8.45 fl. oz or 250ml vodka
3-4 tablespoons sugar (I used golden caster but everyday sugar will do.)
TIME

Method
Wash and dry the plums, making sure to discard any that are mushy. Put them in a jar with a tight seal then pour in the vodka to cover. 


Store in a cool, dark place for at least four weeks. Or longer, if you have the time. Mine infused for six weeks.  I put it in the window for the photos to make it easier to see the color change in the vodka.


Once your infusion time is up, add three tablespoons of the sugar to a mixing bowl. Strain the plums through a sieve on top of the sugar bowl so the vodka goes into the bowl. 


Gently press the plums just enough to make them split but do not mash them too hard. We don’t want bits in the vodka, just any vodka juice that may be inside the plums to drain out. 

Stir the vodka until the sugar has dissolved then taste it. Add a little more sugar, if desired. I added about half of the final tablespoon, so 3 1/2 tablespoons total.


Decant the Mirabelle plum vodka into a clean, sterilized bottle. My final volume was 11 oz or 325ml.

This makes a most delightfully refreshing drink, tart and not too sweet, to sip straight, or with ice and soda. 

Deliciously fruity, tart but not too sweet, this Mirabelle plum vodka is great in cocktails, served over ice with soda water or simply sipped straight.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 22th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter V. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the V recipes below:





Pin this Mirabelle Plum Vodka!

Deliciously fruity, tart but not too sweet, this Mirabelle plum vodka is great in cocktails, served over ice with soda water or simply sipped straight.

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Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice

Umeboshi calamansi lime juice is a refreshing drink popular in Asia, made with calamansi limes and sour plums aka umeboshi over ice.

Food Lust People Love: Umeboshi calamansi lime juice is a refreshing drink popular in Asia, made with calamansi limes and sour plums aka umeboshi over ice.

Back in February of this year, I went to my Costco and discovered several pallets of citrus trees right outside the front door. To my absolute amazement, one of them was a calamansi lime! The tag had a different name and the peels were orange instead of green, but I’d know that aroma anywhere after living in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia for a combined total of 13 or 14 years.

There were only a few left so I did not hesitate and put one in my shopping cart right away. Then a funny thing happened. I was stopped repeatedly by other customers as I did the rest of my shopping, wanting to know where I’d found the tree! Apparently, there were none left up front. One Asian woman even questioned why I needed it. I guess she was hoping I’d hand it over? Who knows!

Anyhoo, I planted the baby in the ground in my backyard and it rewarded me with a decent crop of little limes, as seen below. Crossing my fingers it will do the same again in the next few months. 


Depending on the country, this delicious drink is called different names. In Malaysia where I ordered it often, it’s known as limau kasturi asam boi or usually just limau asam boi, but it’s always made with calamansi or kasturi limes. 

And for those who are curious, normal green limes are called limau nipis in Malay. Just limau means lemon. 

Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice

If you aren’t fortunate enough to be able to source the calamansi limes you can make this with regular ones (skip blending the peels!) but you’ll need more sugar to counterbalance the tartness of the juice. 

Ingredients to serve two:
2 teaspoons sugar
6 calamansi limes
2 umeboshi or dried sour plums
Ice cubes

Method
Add 1 teaspoon sugar and one sour plum into each glass. Pour in 1/4 cup or 60ml hot water in each to dissolve the sugar and steep the sour plums.


Wash the limes and cut them in half. 


Remove the seeds and squeeze the juice into a large measuring cup or bowl.

Use a metal straw or spoon to mash the plums in the glasses a little. 


In a blender or food processor, blend the lime peels with 2 tablespoons of the squeezed juice.  


Strain through a sieve into your measuring cup or bowl, pressing gently with a spoon to get all the juice out. Discard the peels. 


Divide the juice between the glasses and add ice cubes.

Food Lust People Love: Umeboshi calamansi lime juice is a refreshing drink popular in Asia, made with calamansi limes and sour plums aka umeboshi over ice.

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 21th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter U. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the U recipes below:




Pin this Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice!

Food Lust People Love: Umeboshi calamansi lime juice is a refreshing drink popular in Asia, made with calamansi limes and sour plums aka umeboshi over ice.
.

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