Mussels and onions in XO sauce

Alrighty, here is yet another dish I cooked up during my cram week (a few take-out meals after the Roman-style shrimp).

First, I am a big fan of seafood, with the exception of some kinds of fish. Calamari, octopus, mussels, clams, oysters, sea urchins, scallops, conches are all things I adore. Hence, this is one of my favorite recipes (and one of the first I cooked on my own in New York City). It is taken from the following site, and I followed the recipe almost identically (it is easy and inexpensive enough on its own, so kudos to the original creator): http://www.deliciousasianfood.com/2008/10/01/stir-fried-mussels-xo-sauce/.


I prepared the ingredients according to the instructions posted (with slight variations in quantity).

• XO sauce, 1 tablespoon.
  
• Onion, 1 large.
• Scallions, 2, chopped into inch-long pieces.
• New Zealand mussels in the half shell, 1/2 lbs.
• Small cup of water, heated, waiting on the side (you'll see).
  

Some notes of my own: I prefer New Zealand mussels since they're huge. My local supermarket has Canadian mussels, but they're tiny and I find them unsatisfying. XO sauce is another ingredient worth discussing. It is a very unique Asian sauce which is essentially some sort of oils mixed with dried pieces of scallops and assorted sea creatures. Oh, and there's usually a touch of MSG in the mix. Now, personally, I have no qualms against MSG. I try to avoid it when it's an option, but it never stops me from eating anything interesting. In point of fact, it was once a prized spice, just as instant noodles were once a luxury. (This tidbit is from Wikipedia, but I know, citation needed). In the future, I will try to find a substitute for XO sauce. (It's also expensive, relative to other common Asian sauces).


Anyway, I prepared all the ingredients in advance. Sliced the onions and the scallions, and removed the mussels from their shells. I heated just enough oil to slick the pan and sauteed the onions until fragrant. At that point, I added the XO sauce. I cooked for a few more minutes before dumping in the mussels. I cooked the entire mix for roughly 8 minutes (mussels take some time to cook) before adding in the scallions. Finally, I added in just enough hot water to cover the bottom of the pan to help the mussels cook. At this point, I covered the pan with a lid and allowed it to cook until the sauce reduced. Finally, I served it over a bed of rice.


Looks pretty good eh? I certainly thought so. Oh, and I mixed in some chili flakes to give it an extra kick, but that wasn't in the mix originally and is very optional. Some salt would also help.