Recipes>Dinner Recipes
Caramel Pork Ribs
by Shu Han Lee from Chicken and Rice
Easy
Serves 4
This incredible recipe for Caramel Pork Ribs comes from blogger Shu Han Lee. It’s a simple but mouthwatering dish, combining tender pork with a rich, sticky sauce.
Discover more delicious Pork recipes
From slow roasts to hearty chops
From the book
Chicken and Rice
Shu Han Lee
Buy From
Introduction
Although people are generally becoming better aware of the subtleties across Asian cuisines, there are many who still expect some form of sweet, sticky stir-fry. While I hope to prove there is much more beyond that, ‘sweet, sticky stir-fries’ can be pretty amazing when done well. The Vietnamese thit kho to melts sugar over low heat to create a caramel first, and uses fish sauce to add funky saltiness. What results is tender pork coated in a beautifully rich dark sauce that’s far from sickly.
Note: Instead of ribs you can also use an equal weight of cubed pork belly or pork shoulder.
Tags
Ingredients
| 500g | free-range pork spare ribs |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | groundnut oil |
| 4 heaped tbsp | brown sugar |
| 1 tbsp | fish sauce |
| 2 | cloves garlic, chopped |
| 2 | bird’s-eye chillies, chopped |
| a pinch of sea salt | |
| 1 | spring onion, sliced |
Method
Get your butcher to divide the ribs up and chop them into 6cm pieces.
Set a wok over a low heat and add the oil. Pour the sugar evenly over the bottom of the wok and let it melt, stirring occasionally.
Once the sugar has melted and turns golden, turn the heat up to medium and stir in the pork ribs. Drizzle in the fish sauce, add the garlic and chillies, and toss to make sure the pork is well coated.
Add a dash of warm water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add a pinch of salt, cover, and let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, until the pork is cooked and tender.
Uncover and cook on a medium heat to reduce the sauce, until it thickens and becomes sticky enough to coat the pork.* Finish with a sprinkling of sliced spring onions.
- Sometimes I stop at this stage to get a quite different dish altogether. You don’t get sticky ribs, but you get tender pork and a glossy, sweet dark sauce that is delicious spooned over rice.
Reviews
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
Cancel reply
Your review
Name *
Our team will respond to any queries as soon as we can - this may take longer over weekends. You do not need to resubmit your comment.
Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use .
Be the first to leave a review
Ingredients
Method
More Pork Recipes
View all
Air Fryer Roast Pork with Crispy Crackling
by Clare Andrews from The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook: One Basket Meals
Rick Stein’s Filipino Pork Belly Adobo with Mango Atchara
by Rick Stein from Rick Stein’s Food Stories
More Dinner Recipes
View all
Lamb Bhuna
by Lindsay Wilson from Filling Meals
Shortcut Meatball Bake
by Lindsay Wilson from Filling Meals
More Vietnamese Recipes
View all
Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Halloumi
by Dominique Woolf from The Asian Pantry
Lemongrass, Turmeric and Tofu Noodles
by Rukmini Iyer from The Green Cookbook
Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week