Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs
糖醋排骨
Recipe overview
Hong Kong-style bone-in pork ribs are marinated, pan-seared, then gently braised in ketchup, rice vinegar, sugar and soy sauce until a glossy sweet-and-sour sauce coats every rib. No pineapple, peppers, onion or thick batter.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 700 g bone-in pork ribs, cut into 4 cm pieces
- 15 g sliced ginger
- 3 crushed garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp oil
Seasoning
- 1 tbsp soy sauce Marinade:
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine Marinade:
- 1/2 tsp sugar Marinade:
- 1/8 tsp white pepper Marinade:
- 1 tbsp cornstarch Marinade:
- 3 tbsp ketchup Sweet-and-sour sauce:
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar Sweet-and-sour sauce:
- 2 tbsp brown or white sugar Sweet-and-sour sauce:
- 1 tbsp soy sauce Sweet-and-sour sauce:
- 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce Sweet-and-sour sauce:
- 220 ml water Sweet-and-sour sauce:
- 1 tsp cornstarch Slurry:
- 1 tbsp water Slurry:
02
Tools
- cutting board
- knife
- large bowl
- 2 small bowls
- measuring spoons
- measuring cup
- paper towels
- frying pan or wok
- frying pan or wok
- spatula or tongs
- spatula or tongs
- serving plate
03
Steps
Step 1
Rinse ribs quickly
Rinse ribs quickly, remove bone fragments and blood, drain and dry thoroughly.
Step 2
Mix ribs with soy sauce
Mix ribs with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, white pepper and cornstarch; marinate 20 minutes.
Step 3
Step 3
Slice ginger and crush peeled garlic.
Step 4
Mix ketchup
Mix ketchup, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauces and 220 ml water; separately mix cornstarch with 1 tbsp water.
Step 5
Step 5
Preheat pan over medium heat 1 minute and add 3 tbsp oil.
Step 6
Step 6
Sear ribs 3 minutes on the first side until golden before turning.
Step 7
Step 7
Turn and sear remaining sides 2–3 minutes each until mostly golden; centres may not yet be cooked.
Step 8
Pour off excess oil
Pour off excess oil, leaving 1 tbsp; stir-fry ginger and garlic 30 seconds over medium-low heat.
Step 9
Stir sauce again
Stir sauce again, add it and bring to a boil, turning ribs gently.
Step 10
Step 10
Cover and braise on low heat 18–20 minutes; turn ribs once at 10 minutes.
Step 11
Open lid
Open lid: the thickest and bone-side meat must be fully opaque with no pink meat or blood. Reduce 3–5 minutes; add slurry gradually only if thin.
Step 12
Step 12
Toss 1 minute over medium heat until glossy sauce lightly coats every rib and little sauce remains, then serve.
Common mistakes
- Wet ribs splatter and brown poorly.
- Turning too early makes ribs stick.
- Searing alone does not cook meat by the bone.
- Unmixed sauce tastes uneven.
- Long high heat burns sauce.
- Too much heat removes vinegar aroma.
- Too much slurry makes gluey sauce.
- Pineapple sweet-and-sour pork or thick battered ribs is a different dish.
Tips
Dry ribs before searing. Turn only after golden. Use low heat for bone-side meat. Check no pink meat or blood near bones. Reduce until sauce coats, not dry. Keep sweet and sour balanced. Do not add pineapple, peppers or onion. Serve hot.
