Sweet and Sour Ribs
Sweet and sour ribs (糖醋小排, tang cu xiao pai) is a famous dish from Shanghai cuisine. The small pork ribs are fried until golden crispy, then coated with a thin layer of sticky sweet and sour sauce. The ribs have a special chewy texture and a crunchy caramelized surface, and they’re bursting with flavor. The dish can be served hot or cold, usually in small quantities as an appetizer.
INGREDIENTS
The combination of sugar and vinegar creates the iconic sweet and sour taste. Different from the formula used in my Sweet and Sour Fish recipe, this rib dish doesn’t require tomato ketchup. Also, black rice vinegar, instead of white rice vinegar, is used for its more complex flavour. Choose the most popular variety Chinkiang vinegar (镇江香醋) if available.
Step 1
BLANCH THE RIBS
Blanching meat before braising is a common practice in Chinese cooking. It’s to remove excess blood and impurities from the meat and to reduce its gamey taste
Put pork ribs into large cookware (it can be a wok or a pot). Add plenty of tap water to fully immerse all the ribs. Turn on the heat to bring the water to a gentle boil (uncovered). Leave to simmer for about 3 minutes. During this process, you’ll see greyish foam accumulating on the surface. Use a spoon to frequently skim it off. Drain the ribs in a colander.
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Step 2
BRAISE THE RIBS
In a clean wok, deep pan or pot, heat up a little oil and add the drained ribs, along with whole garlic cloves, a piece of ginger and sections of scallions. Stir fry over medium heat until the surface of the ribs become lightly golden.
Add all the condiments, namely sugar, black rice vinegar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and a little salt. Then pour in hot water just enough to level with the ribs. Bring to a full boil then cover with a lid. Leave to simmer over low heat for about 50 minutes until the meat becomes tender (but not falling off the bones).
Step 3
THICKEN THE SAUCE
The last step involves reducing the remaining broth and turning it into a thick and sticky sauce. Remove the lid and pick out all the garlic, ginger and scallions. Turn the heat up to high and leave to boil vigorously.
During this process, don’t forget to add a little more black rice vinegar to enhance the sourness since previously added vinegar has lost some of its tangy flavour during the prolonged simmering. Be attentive and stir the ribs from time to time. As the liquid reduces its volume, it thickens. It’s very important that you stop cooking at the right moment. If too early, the broth isn’t sticky enough to coat the ribs. But if too late, the sugar in the liquid will be overly caramelised thus getting a burnt taste.
