Tender pork ribs. A sticky garlic black vinegar sauce. Sweet and sour in perfect balance. Complex. Tangy. Addictively delicious. I can’t stop eating them. This may not be what your takeaway is making. Not yet anyway. But it is what they should be making.
The sour in sweet and sour spare ribs comes from black vinegar
You’ve probably never heard of black vinegar. It sounds scary. But it’s not. It’s vinegar. Not that different from other vinegars. It’s sour. Has vinegar in the name so that shouldn’t be a surprise. But it’s more than just sour. It has a lot going on. Hints of anise. Malt. Umami. It’s China’s answer to balsamic vinegar. Craft vinegar. That doesn’t mean balsamic is interchangeable though. Don’t make that mistake. No matter what the internet says. Definitely worth getting your hands on a bottle. It’s not just for Shanghai sweet and sour spare ribs. You’ll find other uses for it.
Sweet and sour spare ribs are mostly about technique
This is a rib recipe. Ribs are slow food. And this starts off as a slow food type recipe. Before you even pull out your wok you need to braise the ribs. That’s technique number one. One everyone needs to know. Not just a regular braise. Not quite. I’m borrowing from my tonkotsu ramen broth. Blanching. Toss the ribs in a pot. Enough water to cover the ribs. Bring it to a lively boil for a minute or two. You’ll see a mess of gunk form at the surface. I don’t like gunk. Nobody likes gunk. That’s why it’s called gunk. If it was good they’d call it crema. So down the drain it goes. Wipe out the pot. Give the ribs a quick rinse under cold water and return to the pot. Add water to cover the ribs again. A few flavourings this time. Shaoxing wine. Soy. Star Anise. A gentle simmer. And time. Time to get the ribs tender. Tender can be a guess. Stick a fork in the ribs. Take your best guess. But I like a more disciplined approach. Internal temperature is how I do it. These ribs are ready at around an internal temperature of 195F. 198F is probably OK too. But 185F is probably not. That’s the magic of cooking wit science. Easy. Repeatable. Foolproof. An instant read thermometer is secondon my list of favourite kitchen tools. Right after sharp knives. A good set of restaurant tongs are third on my list if you’re wondering.
Don’t dump the broth
The liquid left over after you braise the ribs? That’s pork stock. Tasty, tasty pork stock. With great Asian background flavours. Do not pour that down the drain. It’s tasty stuff. And tasty stuff makes for tasty dishes. Like an Asian inspired pork noodle soup. Yes. Pork noodle soup. That’s not a thing. Not yet. But it could be. Should be even. It’s delicious. I’ll be replacing this text with a link to one as soon as I publish it.
Shanghai sweet and spare sour ribs go fast in the wok
Hopefully you have a good sized wok. Or a big skillet and nerves of steel. This part goes fast. Braising is slow. Wok cooking is fast. Heat the oil. Add the rock sugar. And wait for it to melt. That’s the sweet in sweet and sour ribs. It’s also why I think a wok is key for this recipe. Narrow at the bottom. Melting sugar in oil isn’t something I do a lot. But it’s a super handy trick. And by the time the sugar melts it magically turns a lovely caramel colour. Ribs go in next. This is where having a wok spatula is a wonderful thing. Best $15 I’ve ever spent. And I got a super fancy one. Leave the wok on the stove. Use the spatula to move things around. Unless you have big wok mojo. In which case go nuts. You want the ribs well coated with the candy oil. That’s the goal. When everything starts to look shiny and delicous you know you’re done.
Choice of soy matters
If you’ve never done a soy tasting you should put it on your bucket list. In the super easy section. But still. The subtleties are amazing. And they’re not all that subtle. Thai is not the same as Indonesian is not the same Japanese is not the same as Chinese. And there are variations from each country. It’s a bit of a rabbit hole. So it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that Chinese soy is right for Chinese. But it doesn’t stop there. There’s all purpose soy. That’s probably what you have in your fridge. Jack of all trades. But not really. I don’t think anyway. It can stand in for light soy. Pretty close I find. So I don’t really understand why you wouldn’t just stick with light. And leave the all purpose at the store. And there’s Chinese dark soy. Any time you see a dark, shiny Chinese dish it’s a safe bet there’s dark soy in the mix. Have a look at the pictures. Shanghai sweet and sour spare ribs is all about the dark soy. If you don’t have it you need to go shopping. It’s magical stuff.
You need to try these sweet and sour spare ribs
Tang Cu Pan Gu. Shanghai sweet and sour spare ribs. Doesn’t matter what you call them. What you need to do is make these. There’s a lot going on. The fattiness of the ribs. Balanced by the acid in the black vinegar. Sticky sweet but not cloying. A bit salty. Like a good barbecue sauce. Garlic, chili and sesame oil for complexity. Dark soy to bring it home. Deceptively simple. Seriously delicious. Shanghai sweet and sour ribs. I’m a fan.
