Sweet and Sour Ribs – Tang Ku Bai Ju

Everything relaxes me. This is today’s recipe – Sweet and Sour Ribs. It is a very popular dish in China, named after its flavour. Sweet and sour is a widely loved traditional Chinese flavor taste. It is a balanced sauce that combines soy sauce, sugar and Chinese black vinegar. Let’s learn how to prepare the perfect sweet and sour ribs with a simple process at home.

Restaurant version vs. home

For restaurant-style sweet and sour ribs, the spare ribs are seasoned first and then fried in hot oil for less than one minute. This step creates a crispy surface and a tender interior, while at the same time the ribs are almost cooked.

In this home version, we simmer the ribs with the sauce and then thicken the sauce in the final step. The texture is a little different than the restaurant version but it is very comfortable.

Traditional sweet and sour taste

Sweet and sour is a common taste in many Chinese cuisines. But it has several versions. Some sweet and sour sauces call for ketchup to give it a more fruity, sour taste.

However, in this recipe, we use black vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar color (dark red rock sugar) to get a bright red color.

Colored sugar (糖色) is sugar dissolved with oil or sometimes with water, and is usually dark red in color. This cooking method is also used in many other dishes such as red braised pork belly. Compared with the color of purchased light soy sauce or ketchup, the color of sugar has a stronger viscosity.

directions

Step 1. Boil the ribs

Cut the ribs into 1-inch to 1.5-inch sections. Fill the pan with cold water and add the ribs, ginger, scallions, and Shaoxing wine. Continue cooking for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer and rinse under warm running water. Set aside to drain.

For beginners, I recommend patting the ribs dry with kitchen paper to avoid splattering oil.

Now, let’s color the sugar – add cooking oil and ground rock sugar in a bowl Walk, W Temperature above a Slow fire. Continue stirring until the sugar dissolves and turns dark red.

Add the ribs to coat the sugar, then stir in the light soy sauce, cooking wine and black vinegar. Continue stirring for two minutes, then pour enough hot water to cover the pot. Optionally add star anise to add a naughty flavour.

Cover the lid and simmer for 25 minutes on a slower flame. Stir once or twice in this process.

Turn the heat to the middle, remove the lids and start thickening the sauce. Continue stirring in the last stage until the sugar cools while stirring and sticks to the ribs.

Be careful at this point, so the ribs don’t burn.

You can sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds for garnish.

My favorite way to serve sweet and sour ribs is to serve them with steamed rice. The sauce will make the rice very comforting and delicious.

Blanch the ribs

• 1 fairy Spare ribs cut into 1- to 1.5-inch sections
• Cold water to cover
• 4 green onion
• 3 Ginger slices

Make sweet and sour ribs

• 2 tablespoons Cooking oil
• 35 g Sugar rock
• 2 tablespoons Light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Cooking wine
• 3 Tablespoon Black vinegar
• 1 Star anise My choice
• Hot water as needed
• 1 Tablespoon. Extra black vinegar

appetizers

• 1/2 Tablespoon White sesame seeds for garnish
• Green onions for garnish

• Cut the ribs into 1-inch to 1.5-inch sections. Fill the pan with cold water and add the ribs, ginger, scallions, and Shaoxing wine. Continue cooking for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer and rinse under warm running water. Set aside to drain. For beginners, I recommend patting the ribs dry with kitchen paper to avoid splattering oil.

• Melt the sugar – Add the cooking oil and ground rock sugar in a bowl Walk, W Temperature above a Slow fire. Continue stirring until the sugar dissolves and turns dark red.

• Add the ribs to cover the color of the sugar, then fry until the ribs are well coloured. Then add the light soy sauce, cooking wine and black vinegar. Continue stirring for a while until the ribs are well coloured.

• Pour enough hot water to cover. Add light soy sauce, black vinegar and optionally add star anise for a naughty flavour.

• Cover the lid and simmer for 25 minutes on a slower flame. Stir once or twice in this process.Turn the heat to the middle, remove the lids and start thickening the sauce. Continue stirring in the last stage until the sugar cools while stirring and sticks to the ribs.

• Add an additional tablespoon of black vinegar before transferring. Be careful at this point, so the ribs don’t burn.

• Garnish with chopped green onions before serving.

1. When frying the sugar color, use the slowest heat and keep stirring. Remove the work from the heat if the temperature is too high.
2. The ribs must be completely drained before adding them to the pan, otherwise the sugar may discolor.

Calories: 457Calories | Carbohydrates: 15g | protein: 18g | fat: 34g | Saturated fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 84mg | sodium: 759mg | Potassium: 335mg | sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 100international unit | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 40mg | iron: 1.9mg