Red-Braised Pork Ribs 红烧排骨
Red-Braised Pork Ribs are a beloved Chinese dish for good reason. The combination of rich, savory soy sauce and sweet caramelized sugar creates a perfect harmony of flavors, while slow braising ensures the ribs turn out juicy and tender. This is the kind of dish that brings warmth to the dinner table, making it ideal for family meals or even a special occasion. Give it a try, and you’ll see why it’s a classic!
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg pork ribs cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp sugar preferably rock sugar, but granulated sugar works too
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 4-5 slices of ginger
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 3-4 cloves
- 1/4 cup Cooking wine or dry sherry
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- Water or broth enough to cover the ribs
- 4 eggs
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add the pork ribs to a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, blanch them for 3-5 minutes, remove the foams. Remove and drain the blanched pork ribs from the pot, set aside.
- In a wok or a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir gently until it melts and turns a golden-brown caramel. Be careful not to burn it.
- Once the sugar is caramelized, add the blanched ribs into the wok. Stir-fry the ribs for 2-3 minutes, until the pork ribs is brown.
- Toss in the bay leaves, ginger slices, cinnamon stick, cloves, Stir-fry everything for another minute to release the flavors.
- Add cooking wine, the light and dark soy sauces, Stir well to coat the ribs.
- Pour in enough water to cover the ribs. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Let the ribs simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- At the meanwhile, boil 4 eggs in another pot for 7- 8 minutes. Remove the egg shells and cut slightly on the egg white.
- Add the eggs to pan of pork ribs, add salt, bring to a boil, then simmer for another 10 minutes or until the ribs are tender.
- Once the ribs are tender, remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium-high. Allow the sauce to reduce, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. The sauce should become glossy and cling to the ribs.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if necessary. Once the sauce has reduced to your desired consistency, turn off the heat.
- The braised pork ribs is ready!