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Sweet and Sour ribs

Savoring Spoon
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb pork ribs diced to 1.5 inch x 1.5 inch pieces
  • 10 slices ginger
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce

  • 45 g granulated sugar
  • 5 preserved Chinese plums
  • 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tbs for sauce, 2 tbs to add to ribs at end of stir frying
  • 3 tablespoon black or basalmic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
  • 350 mL of water

Garnish

  • 1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onion for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Cut ribs into bite sized pieces, often the supermarket will do this for you if you ask!
  • Make sauce. Put preserved Chinese plums, soy sauce, both rice and dark vinegars, in a small bowl. Add 350 mL water and set aside as you prepare the rest. This waiting time is important to let the plums release their flavor.
  • Add ribs to a large pot, add cold water to cover ribs, 5 slices of ginger, and then boil on high until the pot is actively boiling. Turn off the heat, filter the ribs out with a colander and discard the water. This step is to remove excess blood from from the ribs.
  • In a non-stick pot, add vegetable oil (about 2 tablespoon), and heat for 20 seconds on high. Then add sugar and cook until the sugar is golden yellow. Stir while you cook, and don't allow the sugar to burn.
  • Add remaining ginger slices.
  • Add the ribs and stir fry fast so the sugar does not burn. Coat all the ribs with the sugar, the mixture will be golden brown.
  • Add the prepared sauce and keep fire on high until the sauce boils.
  • Once sauce boils, cap the pot and then turn heat to low and let cook for 30 minutes to 40 minutes, until the ribs are soft.
  • Open the cap, and stir fry for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Make sure you keep the cap off and keep stiring, because when the sauce thickens it will become sticker and be more likely to burn onto the ribs.
  • Add a few drops (~ 2 teaspoons) of basalmic vinegar to taste if you wish to enhance the sour part of sweet and sour ribs.
  • When the ribs are cooked, add sesame seeds to coat and remove from the fire. Add some chopped scallions for garnish.

Notes

The most important part is after you open the cap to let the sauce thicken. It's very easy to burn the sauce onto the ribs during this part, because the sugar burns very easily. Make sure you keep stirring and keep an eye on the ribs, if any signs of burning then add sesame seeds and remove from the fire immediately.