"This sauce is ingenious, it transforms ordinary food into great flavour. It was invented in Hong Kong in the money-plays-no-role eighties. The abbreviation XO actually stands for extra-old cognac, but has come to symbolise luxury and high quality. The noble sauce is now an integral part of Asian-inspired fusion cuisine. It turns a humble bowl of white rice into a wonderful meal. But it also turns vegetables, dim sums, meat or seafood into an unforgettable experience.

You need about 800 g of sauce:

45 dried mussels (available in the Asian shop, if not available, double the amount of dried shrimps) 30 g dried shrimps (also available in the Asia shop) 3 dried hot chillies 180 ml grape seed oil 60 ml extra virgin olive oil 2 shallots, finely sliced 15 cloves of garlic, finely sliced 50 g leftover pieces of Ibérico ham (ask the butcher in the Delicatessa, he will cut small pieces off the bone for you) 2 large, medium-hot chilli peppers, deseeded and finely sliced 1 tsp shrimp paste 1 tbsp granulated sugar 2 tsp light soy sauce

And this is how the fascinating sauce is prepared:

Soak the dried mussels, shrimps and chillies separately in 3 small bowls in warm water for 30 minutes. Then remove the mussels and rub finely between thumb and forefinger, reserving 80 ml of the mussel liquid. Drain and roughly chop the chillies and shrimps. Finely chop the Ibérico ham. Now heat both oils together. Add the mussel meat together with the shrimps, shallots, garlic and ham and simmer for about 7 minutes until everything caramelises slightly and the garlic turns golden brown. Add both chillies and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the shrimp paste, soy sauce and sugar and simmer for a further 8-10 minutes until the shallots and garlic are crispy. Do not allow to blacken. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Carefully add the mussel liquid (be careful, the oil may splash). Heat everything again slowly until most of the water has evaporated. Allow to cool slightly and season with soya sauce. It should be well flavoured but not too salty. Leave to cool completely, pour into jars and store in the fridge. It will keep there for at least 6 months."