Method

• 1.
  Preheat a steamer, either stovetop or electric. Place the abalone shell-side down and steam for 50 minutes, or until it can be pierced easily with a skewer.
• 2.
  Remove the abalone, take it out of the shell and clean off the guts. Thinly slice it with a sharp knife.
• 3.
  Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and blanch the noodles for 30 seconds, then drain, reserving some of the water if you like a slightly wetter sauce.
• 4.
  In a large frypan, melt half the butter. Add the garlic and fry it out gently on a low heat, making sure it doesn’t colour, about 3 minutes. Add the sliced abalone, fry it in the butter for 1-2 minutes, then add the bok choy, XO sauce and the rest of the butter. Stir as the bok choy wilts and the sauce emulsifies, 1-2 minutes.
• 5.
  Add the spring onion and still-warm noodles and toss everything together.
• 6.
  Season with lemon juice and test to see if it requires salt. Add a little of the noodle-blanching water to thin out the sauce, if desired. Top with crispy fried shallots for texture. Often, I eat this with a chilli and Sichuan pepper sauce, such as Lao Gan Ma, as a condiment.