RECIPE: HOW TO DO CHINESE-STYLE STICKY PORK RIBS

Coated in a glaze – made from Chinese five-spice, honey and soy – then charred on the barbecue or grill, serve these stickiest-ever pork ribs for an eat-with-your-hands kind of dinner party.

RECIPE CHINESE-STYLE STICKY PORK RIBS

Dificulty: Medium
Portion: Serves 6-8
Time: Hands-on time 20 min, oven time 2½-3 hours, barbecuing/grilling time 15 min

Ingredients

2 x 8-rib racks British free-range pork belly ribs (sometimes known as baby back ribs)
Glug sunflower oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 tsp Chinese five-spice
1 large thumb-size piece fresh ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1½ tbsp rice vinegar
1½ tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp clear honey
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
Toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds and thinly sliced red chilli and spring onion to serve

Step by step preparation

Heat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. Put the racks in a large roasting tin, bone-side up, then cover with just-boiled water from the kettle and season well with salt. Place a sheet of baking paper on top of the ribs to keep the meat submerged in the liquid, then cover the tin tightly with foil. Put in the oven and cook for 2½-3 hours until the meat is very tender when pressed with a spoon. Lift the racks out of the water, pat dry with kitchen paper, then put on a board to cool a little.
Meanwhile, to make the glaze, heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and slightly caramelised. Add the five-spice, ginger and garlic, then cook for 3-4 minutes more until fragrant. Stir in the hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy, honey and ketchup, then transfer to a blender (or tip into a bowl and use a stick blender) and whizz until you have a smooth glaze. Reserve a ladleful for dipping.
Light a barbecue or heat a grill to high. Thickly brush the glaze all over the ribs, then cook for 15 minutes, turning twice and brushing on more glaze as you go, until the meat is caramelised and lightly charred. If you’re using the grill, put the ribs meat-side up in a baking tray and cook for the same amount of time without turning (brush with more glaze halfway through cooking).
Serve the ribs drizzled with toasted sesame oil and scattered with sesame seeds, sliced chilli and spring onion, with the reserved glaze on the side for dipping.

RECIPE: HOW TO DO CHINESE-STYLE STICKY PORK RIBS

RECIPE: HOW TO DO SZECHUAN PORK

RECIPE: HOW TO DO ROASTED, SPICED SWEET POTATOES

RECIPE: HOW TO DO STIR-FRIED CHICKEN AND NOODLES IN PLUM SAUCE

RECIPE: HOW TO DO STIR-FRIED BEEF IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE

RECIPE: HOW TO DO STICKY SESAME AND SOY CHICKEN TRAYBAKE

RECIPE: HOW TO DO VEGAN TOFU STIR-FRY

RECIPE: HOW TO DO SWEET AND SOUR BEEF NOODLES

RECIPE: HOW TO DO LEFTOVER ROAST LAMB STIR-FRY

RECIPE: HOW TO DO CRISPY TOFU STIR-FRY

RECIPE: HOW TO DO PRAWN POPPADOMS

RECIPE: HOW TO DO ORIENTAL MUSHROOM AND PAK CHOI STIR-FRY

RECIPE: HOW TO DO SZECHUAN SALMON WITH PINK PEPPERCORNS

RECIPE: HOW TO DO VEGETABLE AND SWEET CHILLI SPRING ROLLS

RECIPE: HOW TO DO SESAME SEED CRUSTED CHICKEN STIR-FRY

RECIPE: HOW TO DO KEN HOM’S CRISPY FISH SPRING ROLLS

RECIPE: HOW TO DO CHINESE ORANGE BEEF STIR-FRY

RECIPE: HOW TO DO MIMI MEI FAIR’S ‘HOKKIEN’ NOODLES

RECIPE: HOW TO DO KEN HOM’S STEAMED CHICKEN WITH CHINESE SAUSAGE

RECIPE: HOW TO DO PRAWN AND PEPPER STIR-FRY

RECIPE: HOW TO DO STUFFED BITTER MELON WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE