Braised pork ribs

Serves 2-4

This gorgeous recipe for braised ribs is from my friend Janice Leung Hayes. One of the most authoritative food writers in Hong Kong, Janice is the senior director of Little Adventures, a company that customises food and culture tours around the city. Her passion for real food led her to found the Tong Chong Street Market, Hong Kong’s first local, sustainable, organic food market. Committed to educating the public about food, she’s often described as the Stephanie Alexander of Hong Kong. Ask your butcher for meaty ribs and have them chopped into bite-sized portions.

2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) pork ribs

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

4 tablespoons crushed rock sugar (see Note)

Combine the Chinkiang vinegar with the light and dark soy sauces in a bowl and set aside.

Add the oil to a heated wok or frying pan, then add the ribs and fry until browned. Drizzle the rice wine over the ribs and toss for about 20 seconds or until the wine has evaporated.

Add the vinegar–soy mixture to the ribs. As soon as the liquid starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low, cover the wok with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes. If the liquid is reducing too quickly, add a little water.

When the sauce is reduced by half, add the rock sugar and stir to prevent the ribs sticking until the sauce is reduced to a molasses-like consistency, most of which will coat the ribs. Keep the heat low or the sauce will split.

Just before serving, taste and adjust with vinegar, sugar and soy for balance. Serve with steamed rice and stir-fried greens.

Note Rock sugar is available from Asian grocers. It needs to be crushed before using; the best way to do this is to put it in a snaplock bag and whack it with a meat mallet.