These bite-sized short ribs are sweet, sticky and tangy – all kinds of crazy good! The perfect size to serve up at a party, they’ll fly off the table in an instant. You can still use a longer rib if needed, but you won’t get quite as much of a result as the shorter style.
Chinese Red-braised Spare Ribs
1kg short spare ribs, cut into individual ribs
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine
¼ cup water
2 slices fresh ginger
2 spring onions (scallions), pale part only
2 whole star anise
2 garlic cloves, lightly bruised
2 tbsp finely sliced spring onions (scallions), green part only
- Place the spare ribs in a pot of room temperature water. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Skim the surface of the water and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the ribs to a large bowl. Rinse with clean water and then transfer the ribs to a clean bowl.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and allow it to cook and melt for about 2 minutes (take care it doesn’t burn). Add the ribs and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar and heat starts to colour the ribs and the liquid is thick in the bottom of the pan.
- Now add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, Shaoxing wine, water, ginger, spring onions (pale part), star anise and the garlic. Mix to combine. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer gently for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- Remove the lid and turn the heat up a little higher. Cook and stir the ribs in the liquid for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce ‘sticks’ to the ribs and the oil starts to separate in the bottom of the pan. Use tongs to transfer the ribs to a plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and the green part of the spring onion. Serve warm.
