The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Ingredients:
1-pound spare pork ribs
2 tablespoons cooking oil
7 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons black vinegar
3 ginger slices
4 green onion white parts
Hot water as needed
1/2 tablespoon white sesame seed for garnish
Spring onion for garnish
Instructions:
To begin, cut the pork into one to one and a half inch sections. Then, place them into a large pot with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and continue cooking them for around two to three minutes. After they have boiled a few minutes, drain the water and rinse them under warm water. Then, drain the water again and set them aside.
Add cooking oil and the sugar into a large wok, and heat over medium high. Stir the sugar into the oil until it melts.
Add the ribs and coat them in the sugar. Add in the light soy sauce and black vinegar. Continue stir frying the ribs for about two minutes, then pour hot water so that it covers the ribs. Add in the ginger and green onion.
Cover the wok with a lid and allow it to simmer for about 25 minutes over low heat. Once or twice, stir the contents of the wok to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the wok.
After the ribs have simmered for 25 minutes, turn the heat up to thicken the sauce. Stir the ribs continuously until the sauce is thick and almost adheres to the ribs. Be careful at this point not to overcook the ribs and burn them.
Add one extra teaspoon of black vinegar and sesame seeds and stir well to combine them.
Garnish with the chopped spring onion, serve on rice and enjoy!
Commentary:
I have always enjoyed sweet and sour pork ribs at restaurants and decided to try and make it for myself and my family. It turns out great every time and is always a hit.
This dish is great served over hot rice. I also like to stir fry some vegetables such as courgettes and broccoli with garlic. You can serve this dish with a variety of side vegetables, stir-fried or prepared in whatever way you prefer.
This recipe can easily be changed to your taste. You can put other vegetables into the recipe and have them cook with the pork. I sometimes chop red onions and add them in with the ginger and green onion. You can really add whatever vegetables you would like.
Additionally, you can also change how much sugar you want to add. If you would prefer the ribs a little less sweet or are trying to cut down on sugar, you can reduce the amount of sugar from the recipe. It’s easy to play around with the ratio and amounts of the varying sauces and vinegars once you’ve made it a few times.
This dish can also easily be kept for another day, if put in the fridge and heated up the next day.