Chinese Sweet and Sour Ribs Braised in Shaoxing Wine
International dishesBraised DishesChinaabout 1 hour
These Chinese sweet and sour ribs come out glossy with sauce, balanced between sweet and sour and scented with star anise and cinnamon. The hard part is braising them tender while the sauce still clings instead of running thin.
The ribs are seared first for charred edges, then braised with the seasonings for 35 to 45 minutes. Once they are tender the lid comes off and the heat goes up so the liquid reduces onto every piece.
This batch weighs about 803g, at roughly 151 calories per 100g.
Method
Chop the ribs into bite sized pieces or leave them long.
Heat the oil and sear the ribs until the edges catch color, then lift them out.
Fry 1 tablespoon chopped shallots, 1 tablespoon chopped garlic, a few slices of ginger and a few dried chilies until deeply fragrant. Return the ribs to the pan and toss.
Add 2 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or Chinkiang black vinegar, 120ml Shaoxing wine, 1 to 2 star anise and 1 cinnamon stick. Pour in water to just cover the ribs, bring it to a boil, then cover and braise over medium heat for 35 to 45 minutes.
Once the ribs are tender, take off the lid and raise the heat so the liquid reduces and the sauce coats the ribs. Serve on a plate with hot rice.
Tips
Shaoxing wine is sold at Chinese supermarkets, and dry sake or a light white rice wine stands in.
Chinkiang black vinegar can be swapped for ordinary rice vinegar.
The home version only needs the ribs browned at the edges, with no deep frying.
Lift the star anise and cinnamon out once the ribs are tender, since long contact lets the medicinal note take over.
Stay at the pot and keep stirring once the lid comes off, as the sauce reduces very fast.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.