Cooked From the Heart » Chinese, Featured, pork » Chinese Braised Ribs
Chinese Braised Ribs
My photographic skills do not do these ribs justice but my husband declared them the best Chinese braised ribs, even better than any he’s ever had in a restaurant! Now that’s some endorsement and he lived up to it by eating almost half the pot by himself 
I liked it because, well, it was delicious if I do say so myself! But I liked it the most because of how easy it is to cook. I just love these ‘dump and cook’ recipes. This will also work really well in a crock pot or slow cooker. Just dump everything in the pot and let it slow cook all day, and dinner will be ready by the time you get home from work!
I had to write down the spices I dumped into this dish since they all came together by chance based on what I have in the cupboard. Like the dried cranberries for instance. You’ll probably never see that in any traditional Chinese recipe but hey, I had some and they added a delicious tangy sweetness that is almost hard to place.
Another improvisation I did on this dish is the vinegar. I wrote cider vinegar on the ingredients list because that is most likely what I will have next time I cook this dish again. Actually, this time, I used the pickling vinegar from the sweet pickled peppers that we demolished when I cooked fried chicken a week before.
The ingredients list looks long, but when you have it all together, it’s really not that bad. Don’t worry if you don’t have the exact spices in your cupboard. Just go with what you have. The basic flavor you want to go for is a slightly sweet, barely tangy and soy infused flavor that is aromatic from all the spices. Don’t be afraid to substitute or use what you have on hand. Because more than likely, the next time I make this again, I probably won’t be using the exact same spices either.
- 3 lbs. Pork Ribs, Chinese cut
- 6 cloves of Garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 medium Onion, sliced
- 2 inches of fresh Ginger, peeled and sliced
- ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¾ cup Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ cup dried Cranberries
- 2 pieces dried Orange Peel
- 4 pieces Star Anise
- 1 teaspoon whole Schezwan Peppers
- 10-15 strands of dried Lily blossom
- 4 cups of water
- Heat wok or heavy bottomed pot.
- Add ribs and lightly brown and render some fat. Stir ever once in a while so they don’t stick and all or most sides get browned.
- Add the garlic, onions and ginger and stirfry for a couple of minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat to medium or low so it just simmers not boiling. Simmer until ribs are tender and sauce is reduced. Approximately 1.5 hours.
Written by Jeanette Moore (JMom)
I am a terrible housekeeper but I do love to cook so it all evens out in the end. I like to try new recipes that I think my family will like. However, I am not one to follow all recipes to the letter. I tend to tweak and change the recipes based on what I have on hand and how I am feeling at the time. Feel free to share your versions, I just might try it out next time I make the dish again.
Filed under: Chinese, Featured, pork · Tags: braised, Chinese, entree, main dish, pork
[...] is the accompanying soup when I made the Chinese braised ribs last week when the Clone was sick. This was all she had of that meal which was a good thing because [...]
This recipe looks delicious but I wonder if there is anything you could use besides soy sauce. I follow a Paleo Diet and I can’t eat wheat or soy. All the rest ingredients look compatible though. Looks very very yummy.
These do look amazing, like the ones you get at the take out, I will definitly try them. After I have had them I will come back to give it a rating but bear in mind that my cooking ability could effect the rating score I give!
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I am so going to make this.
Thanks for a great sounding recipe. I’ll give it a try.
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