Rock sugar does double duty here: it colors the ribs that deep mahogany red and leaves the sauce glossier than white sugar would. The unusual step is a half hour soak in water with flour and wine, which draws out the blood that blanching sometimes leaves behind in the bone.
Home-style · Main
Red-Braised Pork Ribs With Amber Rock Sugar
Ribs soak in flour water to pull out blood, meet a rock sugar syrup cooked to amber, and braise fifty minutes in soy sauce with Huadiao wine and one star anise.
- Prep45 min
- Cook60 min
- Serves4
- LevelEasy
Ingredients
| 1000 g | pork spare ribs , cut into 3 cm sections |
| 100 g | yellow rock sugar |
| 1 tbsp | flour , for the soaking water |
| 2 tbsp | Huadiao rice wine , 1 for the soak, 1 for the fry |
| 2 tbsp | soy sauce |
| 1 tbsp | dark soy sauce |
| 6 to 8 slices | ginger |
| 4 to 5 sections | scallion |
| 1 | star anise |
| 1 tbsp | salt |
| 1 tbsp | cooking oil |
| a pinch | angelica root powder , optional |
Method
- Cut the ribs into 3 cm sections and rinse them, then soak for half an hour in cold water with the flour, 1 tbsp of the Huadiao and 3 or 4 ginger slices; rinse well and drain.
- Heat the oil over low, add the rock sugar and stir without stopping until it fully melts into a clear amber syrup.
- Tip in the ribs right away and toss until evenly coated; once the color is on, add the ginger, both soys and the remaining Huadiao.
- Add the star anise, scallion sections and the angelica powder if using.
- Pour in hot water to cover the ribs, skim the foam once it boils, add the salt, cover and simmer 50 minutes over medium heat.
- Reduce the sauce over high heat until it clings to the ribs, plate and scatter white sesame on top.
Notes
- Pull the syrup the moment it turns amber; one shade darker and the whole pot turns bitter.
- The flour soak replaces a blanch; it lifts blood and grit from the bone ends without cooking the surface.
Ratios and technique checked against 66•食屿 on Douguo (红烧排骨｜酱汁浓郁，软烂脱骨). The method here is written by Stellaok; the photograph is the source kitchen's, credited on the image above and linked back to the page it came from. No recipe text is reproduced.