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XO sauce: the international appeal of a Cantonese staple

Hong Kong’s beloved signature sauce is glazing the menus at Michelin-starred Western restaurants around the world

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From left, dried shrimp, Jinhua ham (Chinese dried ham) and dried scallop, served with XO sauce on top. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Published: 12:30pm, 3 Apr 2025

Inside the sleek, minimalist interior of FZN by Björn Frantzén in Dubai, executive chef Torsten Vildgaard serves a small bowl of XO sauce with the main course of barbecued duck and foie gras. The sauce has deep umami flavours balanced by a caramelised sweetness and a hint of earthiness, a sigh of smoke underneath it all – heavenly when slathered on the pillowy bread that arrives alongside the duck.

It seems an unlikely condiment to come across in one of celebrity chef Björn Frantzén’s outposts, but as it turns out, XO sauce – a Cantonese pantry essential – first popped up at the three-Michelin-starred, Nordic-Asian hotspot Frantzén in Stockholm, and later at sister venue Zén in Singapore.

At FZN, the 27-seater that opened last November at Atlantis The Palm, Vildgaard (who previously headed research and development at Noma in Copenhagen) makes the XO sauce by finely chopping garlic, shallots, smoked celeriac, chanterelles, red chillies and shiitake mushrooms, then deep-frying them individually. He then adds a reduced kelp dashi to bring everything together, blending it with the spicy frying oil. Along with using it as a condiment for bread, he sometimes uses it in emulsions as an umami booster.

Hamachi served with XO sauce at Restaurant Doubek, in Vienna, Austria. Photo: Restaurant Doubek

“We chose this recipe for our opening menu because it complements the main course perfectly,” says Vildgaard. “Also, it’s vegetarian, making it a great option that most guests can enjoy. I’m passionate about dishes that highlight the plant kingdom.”

FZN is just one of an increasing number of top restaurants around the world making their own versions of Hong Kong’s beloved XO sauce. Although its exact origins remain obscure, XO sauce was created in the 1980s, many believe by an unnamed chef at Spring Moon, at The Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong.

The chef named it “XO chilli sauce”, the term “XO” usually used to describe “extra old” Cognac having come to represent something considered the best of the best in 80s Hong Kong. The sauce is, indeed, traditionally made with luxury ingredients, such as conpoy (dried scallop), dried shrimp and Jinhua ham from Zhejiang province. Whether a sauce can be classified as XO without these three key ingredients is up for debate. Nevertheless, chefs around the world are claiming to have been inspired by what is surely one of Hong Kong’s most influential gastronomic exports.

Chefs are experimenting with Chinese cooking techniques and ingredients in new ways, often fusing them with other cuisines to create unique dishes that appeal to a broader audience

Torsten Vildgaard

However, it’s not just XO sauce that Vildgaard is seeing growing interest in. “Chinese food is gaining more traction outside Asia, especially among chefs,” he says. “Over the past few years, there’s been a surge of interest in regional Chinese cuisines. Chefs are experimenting with Chinese cooking techniques and ingredients in new ways, often fusing them with other cuisines to create unique dishes that appeal to a broader audience.”