10 William St’s dadinhos de tapioca with XO sauce

1.Line an 11cm x 15cm heatproof container with baking paper. Bring milk to just below a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Combine haloumi and tapioca in a bowl, then pour into hot milk, stirring continuously to avoid lumps forming. Season to taste and stir until mixture starts to become firm (5-6 minutes). Pour into prepared container, smooth top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight to firm and chill completely.

2.Meanwhile, for XO sauce, process chillies and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped, but not puréed, then transfer to a bowl. Process scallops and shrimp until finely chopped and transfer to a separate bowl. Heat vegetable oil in a deep saucepan to 180C. Carefully spoon chilli mixture into the oil (be careful, hot oil will spit), and stir gently and continuously to prevent burning until oil starts to boil (1-2 minutes). Add scallop mixture and speck, reduce heat to very low so oil just simmers, and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sauce catching on the bottom of the pan, until chilli seeds start to soften (1¼-1½ hours). Season with sugar and soy sauce, stir to combine, then set aside to cool (1 hour). Makes 1½ cups. XO sauce will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for a month.

3.Heat 6cm oil in a deep saucepan to 180C. Cut tapioca into 12 cubes about 3.5cm square and deep-fry in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Drain on paper towels, then serve topped with XO sauce to taste and finely grated pecorino.