Description
Pork spare ribs pan-fried then simmered until tender in a sweet, savory, and sour tomato-based sauce. Enjoy with steamed rice for a complete and well-balanced meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pork
- 1 1/2 lbs pork spare ribs (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons Maggi seasoning
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Vegetables and Other Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves (peel and slice thin)
- 1 shallot (peel and slice thin)
- 1/2 cup water (to cook ribs)
- 2 bell peppers (remove seeds and cut into bite-sized square pieces)
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- Thinly sliced green onions (optional for garnish)
Instructions
- Clean ribs (optional by highly recommended): Cleaning/parboiling the pork bones will remove all the impurities and foul-smell of pork. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add ribs, and boil for about 8 minutes or until scum floats to the top. Remove from water, rinse and drain dry.
- Prepare ribs: In a medium bowl, marinate ribs with salt and ground black pepper for at least 15 minutes. Set aside.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl by mixing together ketchup, sugar, Maggi seasoning, oyster sauce, lime juice, water, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Pan fry ribs: To a large wok or skillet with a lid, heat vegetable oil on medium-high. Add shallots and garlic. Pan fry for about 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add pork spare ribs and pan-fry the ribs until golden brown on all sides.
- Braise: Add a splash of water (about ½ cup) and cover with a lid. Continue cooking until pork ribs are chopstick tender (about 30 minutes on medium-low heat).
- Add the vegetables: Start with the dense vegetables first such as bell peppers. Cook them for 1-2 minutes. Add softer vegetables last, such as pineapples and mushrooms. Cook for about 1 minute or until softened.
- Add sauce and finish: Mix the prepared sauce again in case the cornstarch has settled to the bottom. Add sauce to the skillet and give it a toss to ensure that the sauce coats everything evenly. Cook until the sauce thickens then immediately turn off the heat. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions (optional) and serve with rice or noodles for a complete meal.
Notes
These are various substitutions. Keep in mind that flavor may vary so you will have to adjust seasonings to taste:
- You can substitute ketchup for canned tomato sauce.
- You can substitute Maggi seasoning sauce, with regular soy sauce, also known as light soy sauce.
- You can substitute lime juice with lemon juice, white vinegar, rice vinegar, or tamarind in any form.
- You can substitute vegetable oil with other neutral oils such as canola, peanut, corn, or avocado oil.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese, chinese