the BEST Five Spice Pork Spare Ribs

The BEST Five Spice Pork Spare Ribs

These have to be the BEST Spare Ribs I have tasted. They melt in your mouth...absolutely delicious!

Serves 4

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients

For the spareribs

750g pork spareribs

600ml groundnut (peanut) oil

For the marinade

1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp Chinese black rice vinegar or cider vinegar

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp corn flour

For the sauce

2 tbsp finely chopped garlic

2 tsp five-spice powder

3 tbsp finely chopped spring onions

3 tbsp Chinese rock sugar or granulated sugar

3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

150ml/5 fl oz chicken stock

1½ tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp dried grated orange peel

85ml/3fl oz Chinese black rice vinegar or cider vinegar

Method

1.      Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and place the spareribs in the marinade for about 25 minutes at room temperature. Remove the spareribs from the marinade with a slotted spoon.

2.      Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large pan. When the oil is very hot and slightly smoking, slowly brown the marinated spareribs in several batches until they are brown. Drain each cooked batch on kitchen paper. (Leave the cooking oil to cool. Strain it through a filter if you want to re-use it when cooking pork.)

3.      Put the sauce ingredients into a clean wok or frying pan.

4.      Bring the sauce to the boil and then reduce the heat. Add the spareribs, cover and simmer gently for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5.      Skim off any surface fat, turn onto a warm serving plate and serve at once.

Cooks Tips

v  If necessary, add a little water to the sauce to prevent the spareribs from drying up.