Home > Recipes > Celebrity chef recipes > Andrew Wong’s beef ‘XO’ sauce

Andrew Wong’s beef ‘XO’ sauce

Name: Andrew Wong’s beef ‘XO’ sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: Makes about 500g
Cuisine: Chinese recipes
Ingredients: 175ml vegetable oil; 125g lean steak, very finely chopped; 125g red chillies, whizzed to a paste in a food processor; 125g doenjang; 50g gochujang; 2½ tsp chicken powder (see ‘ Know how’); 50g caster sugar; 25g sesame seeds; 25g chilli flakes

By: Andrew Wong

Published: 31 Dec 24
Updated: 1 Jan 25

Umami-rich XO sauce is an integral part of Chinese cooking. Originating from Hong Kong, it is usually made with dried seafood, but here chef Andrew Wong shows you how to make a flavoursome XO sauce with beef.

Andrew says: ““This sauce has roots in Hunanese and Sichuanese cooking. Stir it into fried rice, put it on top of congee or have it with whatever you’re eating, from a steak to a bowl of noodles. It’s not actually an XO sauce – it uses beef, not dried seafood – but it’s a pure umami bomb.”

British-born of Chinese heritage, as a child Andrew helped at his parents’ Pimlico restaurant. Determined not to go into hospitality, he went to university to study social anthropology but, after his father died, returned to help his mother. In the restaurant, intrigued by the connections he could see between food, culture and history, Andrew became determined to learn more about regional Chinese cuisines. He then spent six months travelling in China, learning local recipes and techniques, and returned to re-open the family restaurant as A Wong in 2012 (a nod to his parents, Albert and Annie). The restaurant has become a must-visit destination for food lovers. Follow Andrew on Instagram @awongsw1

Check out Andrew’s other must-make Chinese condiments: black bean sauce and ginger and spring onion relish.

Easy
January 2025

Test kitchen approved

Makes about 500g
Prep time 5 min. Cook time 15 min

Check out Andrew’s other must-make Chinese condiments: black bean sauce and ginger and spring onion relish.

Nutrition: Per tbsp

Calories: 57kcals
Fat: 4.7g (0.5g saturated)
Protein: 1.2g
Carbohydrates: 2.4g (1.9g sugars)
Fibre: 0.5g
Salt: 0.5g

Save recipe

Save

Save recipe Print

Rate

Before you start

Make ahead The sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Know how The doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochujang (fermented chilli paste) and chicken powder are available from Asian grocers or online. It’s best to buy a Korean brand of gochujang, as the flavour of many supermarket own-brand options is quite different.

Before you start

Make ahead The sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

175ml vegetable oil
125g lean steak, very finely chopped
125g red chillies, whizzed to a paste in a food processor
125g doenjang
50g gochujang
2½ tsp chicken powder (see ‘ Know how’)
50g caster sugar
25g sesame seeds
25g chilli flakes

Cook Mode Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

Add half the oil to a wok or saucepan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the beef and cook until browned all over. Add the whizzed chillies and cook until the bubbles die down.
Add the doenjang, mix well, then add the gochujang. Stir in the chicken powder and sugar, along with the remaining oil. Cook slowly for around 8-10 minutes or until the sauce has a deep, dark and rich colour.
Stir in the sesame seeds and chilli flakes and leave to cool to room temperature before serving.