Black Pepper-Garlic Sauce

Ming says: This pungent, garlicky sauce owes its being to a famous crab and chile dish from Singapore. I wanted to concoct something similar using lobster, which is easier to eat than crab. With the help of a friend, Chris Yoh, I came up with the very dish, which has been a runaway hit ever since it was introduced at Blue Ginger. Its success made me realize that the sauce itself had a future.

Don't be alarmed by the amount of pepper in this. Once cooked, its heat is dissipated, so it doesn't blow your head off. What you get instead is a marvelous, elusive fragrance that perfectly complements the garlic. Bring the sauce to room temperature and mix it well before you use it.

Put oysters, mussels, or clams on the half shell on a bed of salt, top each with a dollop of the sauce, and bake until just cooked. For flavorful stuffing to use in chicken pinwheels or salami rolls, mix 1 part of the sauce with 2 parts of softened cream cheese. The sauce is great tossed with pasta—or use it in baked potatoes in place of butter or other flavorings.