Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs
Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs is a representative traditional classic dish, loved for its distinctive sweet-and-sour flavor. While preserving the original taste, this recipe optimizes ingredient binding, heat control, and operational details to improve portability and executability.
Ingredients and Tools
- Pork ribs
- Granulated sugar
- Cooking oil
- Light soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Chicken bouillon
- Ginger slices
- Sesame
- Ketchup
- Aged vinegar
- Five-spice powder
Measurements
- Pork ribs 300 g
- Granulated sugar 30 g
- Cooking oil 300–350 ml (oil amount should be adjusted according to the size of the pot; if deep-frying, use enough to cover 2/3 of the ribs)
- Light soy sauce 5 ml
- Oyster sauce 5 ml
- Dark soy sauce 5 ml
- Chicken bouillon 2 g
- Ginger slices 2 slices
- Sesame 2 g
- Ketchup 10 g
- Aged vinegar 5 ml
- Five-spice powder 2 g
Steps
- Put the ribs and ginger slices into cold water, bring to a boil over high heat until there is lots of foam, then reduce to medium heat; when the water is steadily boiling, reduce to low heat and blanch for 2–3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Rinse the ribs with hot water 2–3 times to ensure the scum is thoroughly removed.
- Pour enough cooking oil into the pot for deep-frying (amount depends on pot size, about 300 ml for a typical household). When the oil reaches about 170°C, add the ribs and fry for 3–5 minutes until the surface is slightly golden. Remove and drain.
- Use a clean pot over low heat to warm 50 ml hot water, add 30 g granulated sugar, and gently stir until the sugar fully dissolves and turns slightly pale yellow. The key is to observe the sugar dissolving; do not rely too much on color changes.
- Add the fried ribs to the pot with the sugar water, quickly stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add 5 ml aged vinegar, 5 ml light soy sauce, 5 ml oyster sauce, 2 g chicken bouillon, 10 g ketchup, and 2 g five-spice powder. Stir-fry again for 30 seconds to coat the ribs evenly, then add hot water until it just covers the ribs.
- Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, add 5 ml dark soy sauce for color, and quickly reduce the sauce; if the ribs are large, you can simmer over low heat for 5–10 minutes for better flavor, and do not simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes to avoid damaging the texture.
- Plate and sprinkle with 2 g sesame, then enjoy.
Notes
- When frying the ribs, you can lightly dust a small amount of dry starch on the surface to enhance crispness.
- Pay attention to heat changes when blanching: start with cold water and use high heat until boiling with abundant foam, then switch to medium heat, and finally to low heat to blanch; after blanching, rinse with hot water to avoid toughening the meat from a large temperature difference.
- The key in step 4 is ensuring the sugar fully dissolves; there is no need to rely too much on color changes.
- When reducing the sauce, stir-fry quickly so the ribs are evenly coated, and avoid long simmering that can harm the texture. If you follow this guide and find issues or improvements, please raise an Issue or Pull request.